Anatomy and Physiology Discussion Board 5 - Vaccines and Diseases
Sovanny Than
Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology: SC144-8E
Dr. Strauss- Berta
August 9, 2023
The vaccine-preventable disease I have chosen is measles. Measles is a highly
contagious disease that can be prevented with vaccination. Measles can cause a
person to experience a range of symptoms including a fever, cough, runny nose, and a
rash. This highly contagious virus can be very dangerous and deadly. For example,
Measles can cause complications such as pneumonia, and brain damage which can
lead to death (
Measles
, 2023). Measles virus enters the body through the nose and
mouth when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It then infects the respiratory tract
and spreads throughout the rest of the body. A person who has measles can infect
others for eight days. This period starts 4 days before the rash appears and ends four
days after the rash appears (
Measles - Symptoms & Causes
, 2022).
The Measles vaccine is an attenuated vaccine, the vaccine is made from a weakened
form of the virus that cannot cause the disease. The Measles vaccine is highly effective
at preventing the disease. Two doses of the vaccine are about 97% effective at
preventing the disease (
Questions About Measles
). When enough people in a
community are vaccinated against measles, it’s harder for it to spread to people who
can’t get vaccinated. The number of new cases of Measles has decreased dramatically
since the implementation of the vaccine.
References
Measles
. (2023, May 31). World Health Organization (WHO).
https://www.who.int/news-
room/fact-sheets/detail/measles
Links to an external site.
Measles - Symptoms & causes
. (2022, May 11). Mayo
Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/measles/symptoms-causes/syc-
20374857
Links to an external site.
Questions About Measles
. CDC.
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/faqs.html
Links to an external site.
