Irish Examiner view: Florida plays politics with citizens’ lives

In a moment of medical crisis — such as this measles outbreak — failing to follow accepted medical and scientific guidelines is to play a very dangerous game with the lives of people. File picture

The Cabinet is expected on Tuesday to agree on a plan to offer a ‘catch-up’ vaccine to some 380,000 Irish people thought to be in danger of contracting and spreading the measles virus — a distinct and welcome difference from the stance being taken by the surgeon general in Florida.

There is an entirely preventable outbreak of measles spreading through America’s third most populous state right now and some experts are pinning the blame on the state’s chief medical officer, who is also a vaccine sceptic.