Measles Research Paper

Therefore, anyone entering the area has a high probability of contracting the virus through the respiratory system or even by touching a surface contaminated with the droplets and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes ("Transmission of Measles," 2015).  The risk factors are high for a Measles outbreak in a community in that an anti-vaccination movement has become popular among some parents who believe that vaccinations can be bad for their children.  Statistics show that most of the non-vaccinated children that become exposed to the virus will more than likely acquire the virus (Ross, 2015).

Audience hook: In 2014, the U.S experienced a record number of cases of measles, mostly from the Philippines. Most were unvaccinated and most were from international travel.

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.

One in every 1000 children who contract measles will develop encephalitis, one in 1000 children will die from it, and 25% will have neurological brain damage (National Center for Immunizations n.d.). Morbidity: The most common is ear infections--one in every 20 people with measles will have permanent hearing damage (CDC, 2015). Expectant mothers who contract the disease can go into premature labor and birth, have a spontaneous abortion, or deliver a low birth weight baby.

Measles was at one time in the not too distant past, a killer of those that became infected. Measles has been around for centuries. The first published, written account of the disease was in the ninth century by a Persian doctor. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website on measles, it was not until 1757 that a Scottish physician, named Francis Home, proved that something infectious in the blood was causing the disease. By the early 1900’s, the United States began requiring every healthcare provider and laboratory to report all identified cases, with approximately 6,000 deaths being

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.

Some anti-vaxxers claim that they don’t need to vaccinate their children because “measles isn’t really that bad” (Ross, np). Measles is a respiratory disease within the lungs and breathing tubes that results in fever and rash, and it is very contagious (CDC, np). Measles causes cough, runny nose, rash, diarrhea, and ear infection (CDC, np).

Some patients will develop pneumonia as a sequel to the measles. Other complications include ear infections, bronchitis (either viral bronchitis or secondary bacterial bronchitis), and encephalitis. Acute measles encephalitis has a mortality rate of 15%. While there is no specific treatment for measles encephalitis, antibiotics are required for bacterial pneumonia, sinusitis, and bronchitis that can follow measles.

Perception of a good or service changes human reaction to it, especially when protecting another person. Before the measles vaccine came out, the disease was seen as typical and a part of growing up, the disease was just as harmful as it was before the vaccine but it’s symptoms and effects weren’t as well known. Pre vaccine measles was known to have some deadly symptoms, but people were unconcerned because they were thought to be incredibly infrequent. Even after the vaccination was created people were uninterested, until health officials stepped in to spread the word on how dangerous the disease is. The general public began showing concern and interest after they were informed that measles could leave their children blind, deaf, and mentally

a reddish bump known as Koplik's spots(Carson-DeWitt). Shortly after, the throat will become red, swollen, and sore(Carson-DeWitt). A couple of days after Koplik’s spots appear the actual measles rash begins, which progresses from the head, to the face and neck and to the trunk, and abdomen, next along the arms and legs(Carson-DeWitt). The rash appears to be flat, red patches, but eventually develops raised bumps. Once the rash starts to appear, the fever usually starts to climb higher reaching as high of 105 degrees fahrenheit(Carson-DeWitt). There may be vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes. Around this time the patient would be feeling awful. After 5 days the rash begins to fade, turns brown and starts to

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).

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: