Week 8 ~ Say Hello to Measles

There is a current outbreak of measles in New York City that has spread to at least 21 people as of Tuesday, March 25, 2014. According to the city's Health Department, there are 10 pediatric cases and 11 adult cases. These cases range from three months to 63 years old. Amy Movius MD states in her article, "This year is shaping up to be the worst for measles cases in the US for many, many years" (2014). In 2000, measles was actually declared effectively eradicated from the United States. It did not circulate within our population due to the high vaccination rates of Americans. Now the disease is back, and unvaccinated people should highly consider becoming vaccinated.

3-D model of the measles virus

Measles, also known as rubeola, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus, which shares the same name as the disease. This virus usually grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and lungs, and it can spread very easily through the air. It can also live on infected surfaces for up to 2 hours, so a person doesn't even need to be near an infected person in order to get sick. The onset of symptoms usually begins about 7-14 days after a person has been infected. In a typical case of measles, the infected individual may first experience a cough, fever (mild to moderate), red eyes, running nose, and sore throat. Tiny white spots (Koplik's spots) found inside the mouth may appear two or three days after the start of symptoms. A red or reddish-brown rash appears three to five days after symptoms begin. This rash normally develops on the individual's face near the hairline and will then spread down to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. Along with the rash, the infected person's fever may rise to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

A rash develops 3 to 5 days after symptoms begin

The measles vaccine didn't become available until the 1960s. Before then, there were 3 to 4 million cases per year in the United States. These large numbers of cases lead to about 500-600 deaths every year, and even many of the survivors ended up suffering from pulmonary and neurologic injuries caused by the infection. In the early 2000s, very little cases were reported each year, and all of those cases were brought back to the United States by individuals who had traveled to other countries where the disease still circulates. As years went on, though, more cases began to appear in the US. It was the worst in 2011, where there were 220 reported cases of measles. This rising number of cases is very likely due to more people choosing not to vaccinate. It is predicted that 2014 will surpass the number of cases in 2011; 80 cases have already been confirmed this year, and the outbreaks in NYC and other parts of the country will most likely continue to add to this number.

The outbreak in New York City began when measles was brought back to the US by unvaccinated individuals who had been traveling abroad. This goes to show how extremely important it is to be vaccinated. Someone may have traveled to another country for vacation or a business trip with no thought of contracting a disease, and now many others are infected because that person chose to travel abroad without being immunized. Once the measles virus was brought back to NYC, it was spread to many places including hospitals and health clinics, classrooms, different types of public transportation, and possibly airports and other large public places. The CDC has also tracked one individual who may have exposed the virus to up to 100 cancer patients. Of course it's a serious issue no matter who contracts measles, but cancer patients may have a much harder time combating the disease.

The majority of measles cases could have been avoided by a simple vaccination, so hopefully this outbreak has spread more awareness to how important being vaccinated really is. I have learned a lot more about measles just be reading about the outbreak in NYC. I did not know how extremely contagious it is. It can also lead to potentially fatal consequences like encephalitis and pneumonia. I feel that more people should be properly educated about this vaccine, and also informed of how quickly it spreads and the possible effects it can have on infected people.




References
1. Movius, A. (2014). Measles 2014: new reminders of old lessons. WABI TV5. Retrieved from http://wabi.tv/2014/03/25/measles-2014-new-reminders-old-lessons/
2. Mercogliano, A. (2014). NYC measles outbreak grows to 21 cases. PIX 11. Retrieved from http://pix11.com/2014/03/25/nyc-measles-outbreak-grows-to-21-cases/#axzz2x5GKwL1O
3. CDC. (2013). Overview of measles disease. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/index.html
4. Photo (top): http://img-new.cgtrader.com/items/19343/measles_virus_3d_model_max_48b80d2a-0fdc-46b7-807c-ed76e587e07f.jpg
5. Photo (2nd from top): http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/624/flashcards/476624/jpg/clipboard05d.jpg
6. Photo (2nd from bottom): http://www.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/slideshow/mmr-vaccine/slide01_girl-getting-vaccine.jpg
7. Photo (bottom): http://www.gov.im/media/389484/measles_logo.jpg