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Thomas Kienzle/AP
Measles Outbreak Spreads to 15 States
July 11, 2008 05:04 AM
by
Josh Katz
Federal health officials have announced that the current measles outbreak is the largest in 10 years.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 127 people have contracted the virus, and the outbreak, which began in May, now spans 15 states.
The current outbreak stems from people traveling to the U.S. from abroad. Ten countries—Switzerland, Israel, Belgium, Italy, India, Germany, China, Pakistan, Russia and the Philippines—are involved in the scare.
Officials have also associated the spread of measles with parents who choose not to immunize their children because they fear the vaccinations may result in autism or other complications. Thanks to vaccines, transmission of the virus had been stamped out in the U.S. by 2000.
Although the disease could be deadly, no one in the United States has died as a result of the latest outbreak.
In 1996, measles sickened 508 people, and 138 more fell ill in 1997. Before that, the last major outbreak in the U.S. occurred from 1989 to 1991, “when 55,000 people got measles and 123 died,” according to Reuters.
The CDC cites “Rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes” as symptoms of measles.
The current outbreak stems from people traveling to the U.S. from abroad. Ten countries—Switzerland, Israel, Belgium, Italy, India, Germany, China, Pakistan, Russia and the Philippines—are involved in the scare.
Officials have also associated the spread of measles with parents who choose not to immunize their children because they fear the vaccinations may result in autism or other complications. Thanks to vaccines, transmission of the virus had been stamped out in the U.S. by 2000.
Although the disease could be deadly, no one in the United States has died as a result of the latest outbreak.
In 1996, measles sickened 508 people, and 138 more fell ill in 1997. Before that, the last major outbreak in the U.S. occurred from 1989 to 1991, “when 55,000 people got measles and 123 died,” according to Reuters.
The CDC cites “Rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes” as symptoms of measles.
Headline Link: Measles outbreak spreads
“The biggest U.S. outbreak of measles since 1997 has sickened 127 people in 15 states, most of whom were not vaccinated against the highly contagious viral illness, federal health officials said on Wednesday,” Reuters reports.
Source: Reuters
Background: Nonvaccination linked to resurgence of childhood illnesses
More than 70 cases of measles, a potentially deadly illness, had been confirmed in the United States, after public health officials had claimed the disease was eliminated in 2000. One of the possible causes is that some parents do not want to get their children vaccinated for measles, fearing the vaccinations can cause autism, findingDulcinea reported on May 2, 2008.
Source: findingDulcinea
Measles isn’t the only preventable childhood disease rearing its head. Earlier this year public health officials reported outbreaks of mumps and pertussis in pockets around the country. Both conditions can be prevented with vaccines.
Source: findingDulcinea
Opinion & Analysis: To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate
On the parenting blog Mamas and Papas, Tucson Citizen reporter Heidi Rowley explains her decision to vaccinate her one-year-old child. “Over the last several weeks I have also spent quite a lot of time writing about the current measles outbreak which is linked to people not being vaccinated. I have made an informed decision to immunize my child against many potentially deadly and life-altering diseases.”
Source: Tucson Citizen
A blogger called Kandylini argues forcefully that doctors don’t have a legal right to force parents to immunize their children. If a parent can’t find a sympathetic pediatrician, Kandylini suggests avoiding “well baby” visits. “If she’s well, why go to a doctor and expose her to other sick children? The visits are really about pushing vaccines, not about wellness—unfortunately, most doctors don’t have a clue to how to keep you and your family well.”
Source: Kandylini
Reference: Measles
Measles begins with a fever and causes a red rash to appear a couple days later. It is spread through coughing and sneezing, and it takes up to two weeks after exposure for symptoms to appear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complications from the disease include encephalitis. In pregnant women, measles can cause miscarriages or lead to premature births.
Source: CDC
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