The Measles Research Paper

Before a child is able to attend school they are required to get the measles vaccination, but lately there have been some controversy on the vaccination. In this paper I will be explaining what the measles vaccination is, benefits of the vaccinations, and cons of the vaccination.

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.

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

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

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.

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

During 1980`s, Asia, Europe, Africa and South America had great numbers of measles cases and low numbers of vaccination. China had the highest number of measles outbreak over a million in 1980. By 1990`s, vaccination levels were above 90% almost in every continent except Africa. According to World Health Organization, the highest numbers of measles cases were seen in China, Congo and Nigeria in 2013 (Table I). Therefore, it can be concluded that measles is not a great threat to the rest of the World. However, measles outbreaks can be seen in any country because it is a highly contagious disease. Since people travel around the World a lot in the 21st century, a sick person coming in from a different country could bring the measles virus which leads to an outbreak. Also, China, with a 99% immunization, still happen to have the highest count of measles. So vaccination rates don`t necessarily explain the number of cases occurring as it can be seen in Table I (“Mapping measles”, 2015).

Measles is caused by a virus known as Paramyxovirus which is highly contagious. About 85% of people that are exposed to the virus are infected by it and about 95% of those people infected by the virus will develop an illness called measles(Carson-DeWitt

Vaccines and the side effects often frighten many individual just at the mere thought of vaccinating their child. Many parents are not clearly informed about what vaccinations are, what it does to protect the human body against different viruses it comes encounter with. For instance, the measles vaccine has been refused by many people and unknowing to them this disease has grave repercussions. Measles is a very contagious disease and can be prevented by the use of vaccine.

Initial symptoms of measles begin to show 7-14 days after being infected. These include fever, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis. After a few days of occurring symptoms, a facial rash will break out starting at the hairline and spreading down toward the feet (Signs and Symptoms, 2015). Koplick spots, or small white bumps, may appear in the mouth. A fever may spike to high temperatures with the onset of the rash. Within a few days, the rash and fever will subside (Signs and Symptoms, 2015).

The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016 reported that measles is one of the leading causes of mortality among young children, furthermore statistics have shown that measles claims approximately 134200 lives annually. Measles is an acute, contagious virus and it is an illness that is preventable by using vaccinations (Wolkoff, Grim, Marx, 2011). The measles disease is caused by an infectious agent called the genus Morbillivirus that originates from the paramyxovirus family and the symptoms that prove one has measles include (WHO, 2016):

The Latin name for measles is rubeola. The pathogen which causes the disease is a paramyxovirus, which is one of a group of RNA (ribonucleic acid) viruses. Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus, and also comes out in a rash. The virus enters the body via the respiratory system, and grows in the cells at the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs, from there it then enters the blood stream and circulates the body.

In order to detect if a person has the mumps the first thing would be to look at the symptoms. Mainly the swollen jaws would be a good indication. After this confirming what we think is the next step so a sample must be collected. Depending on what exactly you are looking for and what type of test is to be done depends on what type of sample you must get. For a detection of the mumps antibody a blood sample is going to be the choice specimen. To get this sample a normal venipuncture procedure will be used. If you are testing for the virus in a culture there are several specimens that can be used. Examples include blood, urine, CSF, nasopharyngeal aspirate/washing and throat swabs (Measles and Mumps Tests). We use antibody testing most commonly to determine if a person has this virus. Once infected the body make IgM antibodies to the virus. Over time these antibodies disintegrate and IgG antibodies take their place forever, allowing the person to become immune to the mumps virus if ever in contact with it again. There is also another test that detects the genetic strain of the virus called the RT-PCR test (Measles and Mumps Tests). This is used to help determine a cause especially if the results do not match the doctors suspicions.