preview

Communicable Disease Outbreak: Measles

Decent Essays

Community Health Task 2
A1. Communicable Disease Outbreak: Measles Measles, is a highly contagious viral illness that is characterized by a prodrome of fever, malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis and then is followed by a maculopapular rash (Kutty et al., 2014). Most persons contracting the virus recover completely, but there are some possible severe complications and these include pneumonia, encephalitis and death (Kutty et al., 2014). Kutty et al. (2014) reported deaths from the measles as approximately two to three deaths for every 1,000 reported cases.
Measles was a common virus in the U.S. before 1963, when the first vaccine became available and prior to 1963 there were approximately 549,000 cases of measles and 495 deaths …show more content…

Grif Alspach (2015) also reports that the virus can remain in the air and on surfaces for two hours after the infected person has left the area. Measles symptoms appear 7 to 21 days after exposure, beginning as mentioned above as fever, malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis, and these symptoms are noticed 3 to 4 days before the rash is noticed (Grif Alspach, 2015). The infected person is known to be contagious four days before and four days after the rash appears (Grif Alspach, 2015). Any person not receiving the vaccination as recommended and traveling to areas in the world where measles is more common is at risk for contracting the illness (Grif Alspach, 2015). Also noted as a complicating risk factor is having a vitamin A deficiency, which could make a child more susceptible to complications with measles such as encephalitis (Grif Alspach, 2015).
A3. Cherokee County, South Carolina: A Response to a Possible Measles …show more content…

Individuals that are not fully immunized should be identified and counseled regarding the risk involved especially when travelling out of the country or to areas frequented by international travelers such as amusement parks (SC DHEC, 2015). The identification process should occur at every point of care, including the emergency room, physician office, health department, and school nurse. This identification process and subsequent education could decrease the number of persons that are not receiving vaccinations in a timely manner. Vaccines should be available for administration at every service provider location in the community to improve timely vaccinations. The education provided in the community regarding measles and outbreak control strategies should be provided face to face as well as reinforced with posters and pamphlets available through the CDC

Get Access