Over 100 Measles cases
span across 15 states
There are over 100 Measles cases spanning across 15 states. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of Measles cases have risen from 84 to 102.
The CDC traced the outbreak to the Disneyland amusement park in California. According to the CDC, most of the people who have contracted the disease did not receive two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine that is needed in order to protect them against the Measles virus.
Due to a large number of cases consisting of individuals who haven’t had their vaccinations, questions have been raised about whether the outbreak is due to an anti-vaccine movement that began in 1998.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who wrote an article encouraging parents not to vaccinate their children, is credited with getting the anti-vaccine movement started.
In his article published in the medical journal The Lancent, Wakefield argued that two doses of the vaccine could lead to “adverse” side-effects like autism.
Wakefield’s theory was later dismissed and he lost his medical license in 2010. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourage parents to get their children vaccinated.
Representatives from both agencies highlighted the dangers in not getting vaccinated and how it can affect the surrounding communities.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, who is the CDC’s director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, pointed out that the evidence that the Measles vaccines work rest in the fact that the lack of vaccinations is why people are contracting the Measles virus.
Schuchat is quoted as saying, “The majority of the adults and children that are reported to us for which we have information did not get vaccinated or don’t know whether they have been vaccinated.
This is not a problem with the measles vaccine not working; this is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used.”
Dr. Sandra G. Hassink, who is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stressed a similar point as Dr. Schuchat.
Hassink noted that the vaccines’ effectiveness is evident in the number of Measles cases that were reported over 10 years ago: “When measles was more common in the U.S., hundreds of children died from this virus every year. The fact that this disease has resurfaced for the first time in more than a decade has prompted pediatricians to reiterate the same recommendations to parents that were made for decades with renewed urgency: Vaccines work.”
Measles is a highly contagious air borne virus that only affect humans. The virus is transmitted after an infected person coughes or sneezes.
After it has been released, the virus can live on a flat surface for up to two hours. Individuals who have not been vaccinated and are in close proximity to an infected person have a 90% chance of being infected.
It takes between 7 to 14 days for symptoms associated with the Measles virus to appear. During the virus’ early stages, symptoms are similar to those associated with the common cold.
These symptoms include coughing, runny nose, red and watery eyes. As the virus progresses, the red rash generally associated with the Measles virus appears and is followed by an increase in temperature that sometimes goes above 104º Fahrenheit.
The two most common complications associated with the Measles virus are an ear infection and diarrhea, while the more severe complications include pneumonia and encephalitis.
A person who has had the Measles virus can also get the deadly disease Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, which affects the central nervous system.
Children who are 4 years old and younger and adults who are 21 years old and older have a greater chance of suffering from the complications associated with the Measles virus.
The CDC traced the outbreak to the Disneyland amusement park in California. According to the CDC, most of the people who have contracted the disease did not receive two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine that is needed in order to protect them against the Measles virus.
Due to a large number of cases consisting of individuals who haven’t had their vaccinations, questions have been raised about whether the outbreak is due to an anti-vaccine movement that began in 1998.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who wrote an article encouraging parents not to vaccinate their children, is credited with getting the anti-vaccine movement started.
In his article published in the medical journal The Lancent, Wakefield argued that two doses of the vaccine could lead to “adverse” side-effects like autism.
Wakefield’s theory was later dismissed and he lost his medical license in 2010. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourage parents to get their children vaccinated.
Representatives from both agencies highlighted the dangers in not getting vaccinated and how it can affect the surrounding communities.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, who is the CDC’s director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, pointed out that the evidence that the Measles vaccines work rest in the fact that the lack of vaccinations is why people are contracting the Measles virus.
Schuchat is quoted as saying, “The majority of the adults and children that are reported to us for which we have information did not get vaccinated or don’t know whether they have been vaccinated.
This is not a problem with the measles vaccine not working; this is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used.”
Dr. Sandra G. Hassink, who is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stressed a similar point as Dr. Schuchat.
Hassink noted that the vaccines’ effectiveness is evident in the number of Measles cases that were reported over 10 years ago: “When measles was more common in the U.S., hundreds of children died from this virus every year. The fact that this disease has resurfaced for the first time in more than a decade has prompted pediatricians to reiterate the same recommendations to parents that were made for decades with renewed urgency: Vaccines work.”
Measles is a highly contagious air borne virus that only affect humans. The virus is transmitted after an infected person coughes or sneezes.
After it has been released, the virus can live on a flat surface for up to two hours. Individuals who have not been vaccinated and are in close proximity to an infected person have a 90% chance of being infected.
It takes between 7 to 14 days for symptoms associated with the Measles virus to appear. During the virus’ early stages, symptoms are similar to those associated with the common cold.
These symptoms include coughing, runny nose, red and watery eyes. As the virus progresses, the red rash generally associated with the Measles virus appears and is followed by an increase in temperature that sometimes goes above 104º Fahrenheit.
The two most common complications associated with the Measles virus are an ear infection and diarrhea, while the more severe complications include pneumonia and encephalitis.
A person who has had the Measles virus can also get the deadly disease Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, which affects the central nervous system.
Children who are 4 years old and younger and adults who are 21 years old and older have a greater chance of suffering from the complications associated with the Measles virus.
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