Measles Essay

Around 10 days after you get the measles infection, the following symptoms begin to appear:

According to the Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases textbook aka “The Pink Book” (2015) which was produced jointly by the Communication and Education Branch, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Measles is a paramyxovirus with the primary site of infection in the nasopharynx. It has an incubation period of 10-12 days. The first symptoms to occur are fevers (increasing stepwise 103-105 degrees), cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis approximately 2-3 days after exposure and last 2-4 days. The second part of the infection occurs approximately 14 days after exposure; which is evidence by Koplik spots on the oral mucosa. Then, 1-2 days later, a maculopapular rash develops along the hair line, face,

(Center For Disease Control).Those at greatest risk for contracting the disease are individuals who do not vaccinate or children to young to receive the vaccine. Signs and symptoms of measles include high fevers up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, rash, cough, conjunctivitis and runny nose. Many other complications may evolve once a person is infected with measles some being otitis media and pneumonia. The infected person is contagious roughly about 4 days prior to the rash forming and for about 4-5 days after the rash disappears. Most people that have died from the disease did not die from measles but the complications of measles and secondary illnesses. (The History Of Vaccines).

Facts and figures available to study the epidemiological data for the outbreak of measles include gathering suspected and confirmed cases of this disease from the World Health Organization. This is done by gathering serum samples from all suspected cases to determine if a measles specific immunoglobulin antibody is detected. This particular disease lives in the nose and throat of the infected individual and is considered contagious for a period of four days before the rash appears and for a further four days after the sighting of the rash.

In early April 2013 a measles outbreak was discovered in North Carolina. By mid-May the outbreak had been identified in Stokes and Orange Counties via 23 active cases. Every case was linked back to a family that had spent 3 months in India and had not been vaccinated. By the 16th of April the state laboratory of Public Health was able to confirm the diagnosis, with the last known case being confirmed on May 7th. The investigation of this outbreak revealed 4 patients with a confirmed diagnosis that had received one of vaccination of the two part series. The other 19 cases had not ever been vaccinated.

Measles is virus with a single-stranded RNA and two membranes: a fusion protein that infuses into the host cell membrane and the hemagglutinin protein that absorbs the virus into the cells. The primary site for invasion is in the epithelium of the nares. Measles is highly contagious and very infectious because it is easily transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours and infect many people who inhale the infectious agent or touch a surface, then be introduced to a new host through touch to

It can transfer from person to person through coughing and sneezing since it lives in the throat and nasal cavity. The droplets of the disease can live up to 2 hours in the air. The victim can touch a contaminated surface then touch their eyes, mouth, nose, or breathe in the air and become infected. The infected person can be contagious four days prior or four days after the measles rash appears. (Measles)

Every person that has not been vaccinated by the MMR is at risk of contracting the disease. In the CDC’s vigilance to keep the United States free of measles, it has listed several key challenges. They are the following:

Measles is a very contagious disease that is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family (World Health Organization, 2016). Measles, a virus only found in humans, can be passed through the air or by direct contact. It can be spread by sneezing, coughing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions. The virus enters the body via mucous membranes and then it is carried throughout the body. Usually when someone has been exposed to measles, the first sign will be a high fever beginning about a week and a half after the exposure and

| Rash of red, itchy spots that turn into fluid-filled blisters. They then crust over to form scabs, which eventually drop off.It takes seven to 21 days for the symptoms to show after you have come into contact with the virus. This is called the ‘incubation period’.

There are no symptoms in about 50% of the people infected with the disease. Symptoms that may show up would include: a mild fever, swollen glands, a rash spreading from the face to the body, and aching joints (typically in younger women). (2) (4) The disease is primarily dangerous for a fetus. Rubella can cause birth defects and, in some cases, miscarriage. Coughing or sneezing helps to spread the rubella virus, and even asymptomatic individuals can spread it. It is suggested to get a lot of rest and drink plenty of fluids when you have the disease. It might also be helpful to take pain relievers, including acetaminophen and aspirin, to help with the fevers and inflammation. There are about seven days, starting from the onset of the rash, that people are contagious. They need to be isolated from people who are not immunized, as well as coworkers and students from school. (3) Each defect caused by CRS (congenital rubella syndrome) requires a different treatment, and each treatment is specific for a certain defect. (3) The rubella vaccine is the most common prevention used for rubella. The vaccine has seen widespread use, and it has been preventing outbreaks and birth defects due to CRS for years. Children between the ages of twelve and fifteen usually receive the vaccine as part of their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. Once they reach four to six, they receive the

There are three major symptoms associated with RMSF which usually appear after an incubation period of five to ten days: fever, headache, and a rash. The rash is a diffuse macular (featuring elevated discoloration) rash, is most prominent on wrists and ankles, which will usually erupt three or four days after the onset of fever. All three of the primary symptoms are not always present in all cases of RMSF, making it much harder to correctly diagnose the disease. Other symptoms are general symptoms common with other types of infections such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Despite the name the disease is endemic in the Carolinas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, and is less common in the Rocky Mountain area. About 95% of reported cases occur between April and September. (Lyon and Kelsey).

Measles is an airborne disease that is spread through respiration (contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth, either directly or through aerosol transmission (coughing or sneezing)), and is highly contagious—90% of people without immunity sharing living space with an infected person will catch it.[4] An asymptomatic incubation period occurs nine to twelve days from initial exposure. The period of infectivity has not been definitively established, some saying it lasts from two to four days prior, until two to five days following the onset of the rash (i.e., four to nine days infectivity in total), whereas others say it lasts from two to four days prior until the complete disappearance of the rash. The rash usually appears

Chicken Pox is a virus caused by varicella-zoster, a member of the herpes family. This same virus also is a cause of herpes zoster other known as shingles in adults. Chicken pox is very contagious and can easily spread to people. Chicken pox is acquired by coming into contact with the fluid of a chicken pox blister, or airborne by an infected person sneezing near you. The blister-like rash usually lasts five to ten days. The incubation period lasts 10-21 days and a person with chickenpox becomes contagious one to two days before their blisters appear. The person with chicken pox remains contagious until all the blisters have crusted

Usually a person doesn’t start to get symptoms of measles until they have been infected with the virus for 7-11 days. The symptoms are: