Measles

As of January 2015, it was reported that at least two dozen people were infected with Measles between

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

The prescribing of antibiotics for AOM can have an impact on the health of the treated children and increases the cost of providing care. Watchful waiting is the recommendation from the AAFP & AAP in cases of uncomplicated AOM that are a result of other illnesses such as an upper respiratory virus. In the past doctors would immediately prescribe antibiotics for the signs and symptoms of an ear infection, however new evidence shows that over time bacteria have become resistant to certain antibiotics and so other means of treatment must be explored. If a child presents with symptoms of AOM and has no other underlying illness or condition, then watchful waiting is an appropriate avenue of treatment for the child. The research showed placebo trials had favorable outcomes and children responded without antibiotic interventions. If watchful waiting is used the child is not exposed to unneeded antibiotics and this reduces the chances of antibiotic resistance in the future. In addition, it also reduces the amount of money spent on health care needs in the form of purchasing medications. It should be noted that watchful waiting should only be considered in cases of uncomplicated AOM and that education should be given to care givers on when to follow up if symptoms do not improve within 48-72 hours. In the even that symptoms do not resolve then antibiotics may become necessary.

What are Measles? According to Center of Disease Control, Measles start, “Three to five days after symptoms begin,” then, “a rash breaks out.” Measles are very contagious because if a person sneezes, coughs, or is even breathing next to you, you would most likely get it. Like Center of Disease Control says, “It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline”. It starts from there and works its way down. To conclude,

In December of 2014, an outbreak of measles, which started in Disneyland, resulted in nearly two hundred people being sickened across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The highly contagious respiratory disease spread for three months. Among those who contracted the illness, one developed severe pneumonia and multiple organ injury, while another suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome. So, why did an illness, which was purportedly eliminated sixteen years ago, experience a surge so dramatic that it caused more cases in 2014 than in the five preceding years combined? According to the CDC, the outbreak could be boiled down to one simple reason: “The majority of people were unvaccinated.” So while the California measles outbreak is a thing of the past, the fight to increase compliance with vaccinations continues. Although the benefits and safety of vaccinations are undisputed by the medical and scientific community, there are still sizeable groups of “anti-vaxxers” who refuse to vaccinate their children. These groups spread misconceptions, sometimes unknowingly, and become even more influential when coupled with the power of the internet and social media. Therefore, in order to increase compliance with routine vaccinations, the misconceptions of parents should be targeted, and legislation should be changed in order to prevent leniency and loopholes regarding vaccine exemptions.

We have all heard the old saying a bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. However, now there is research to prove it, at least in work situations . In the podcast, Ira Felps speaks to a professor in the Netherlands, who created an experiment to see what happens to productivity when a bad worker joins a team. Felps separated people into small groups and then gave them a task. One member of the group was an actor, after a short amount of time the rest of the group started behaving like the bad apples as well. The next part of the podcast talked about measles vaccinations. Measles cases are higher than they've been in decades mainly because more parents are nervous and refusing to vaccinate their children. Recently, an unvaccinated 7-year-old boy

Patients that are contracted by this disease don’t actually become ill until about 7-18 day after they are infected by the virus(Carson-DeWitt). The most contagious time period is the three to five days before symptoms begin through about four days after the characteristic measles rash has begun to appear(Carson-DeWitt). A few days after the first few symptoms, a rash appears in the mouth, mainly on the mucous membrane that lines the cheeks(Carson-DeWitt). The rash is made of tiny white dots on

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: