Your Childrens Health

Measles, also known as rubeola, is an infectious viral disease that primarily affects the a respiratory system and mostly occurs in winter and spring. The most common symptoms of measles include fever, a hacking cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, and a spreading rash, some of which last about 2 weeks. In most cases, measles treatment simply involves treatment of the symptoms, with paracetamol, regular rinsing of the mouth, and plenty of fluids to drink. Serious and rare complications can result from measles, such as pneumonia, hepatitis, and brain inflammation (encephalitis), and immediate medical treatment should be obtained if there is any sign of these developing. Measles symptoms and complications are usually more severe in adults.

Measles, like all viral diseases, cannot be treated with antibiotics. Also like most viral illnesses, the best way to avoid measles is via vaccination.

Even in developed countries, where vaccination programs are common, there are misguided and misinformed people who refuse vaccination for themselves and/or their children. To protect these foolish people, and visitors to your area from other countries who have not been vaccinated, contact should be limited until a medical diagnosis has been established excluding mumps, or until at least 10 days have passed since the symptoms subsided.

Measles can be prevented with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, and this vaccine immunizes against all 3 diseases.

The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine prevents measles, mumps, and rubella. These three vaccines are safe given together. MMR is an attenuated (weakened) live virus vaccine, which means that after injection, the viruses grow and cause a harmless version of the infection in the vaccinated person with no symptoms or very mild symptoms. After the vaccination, the person’s immune system fights the infection caused by the weakened versions of the measles-mumps-rubella viruses and life-long immunity develops.

Usually the MMR vaccine is given to children at 12 to 15 months of age. A second booster vaccination with MMR is often given between the ages of 4 and 12.

More than 95% of people who receive a single dose of MMR will achieve life-long immunity to all three diseases. The second vaccination with MMR confers life-long immunity to those who did not fully respond to the first vaccination.

A benefit of having suffered measles is life-long immunity, and the MMR vaccine has a similar effect. If the worldwide uptake of any vaccine is high enough, the actual disease can be eradicated, as is the case with smallpox.

As with all immunization schedules, there are important exceptions and special circumstances. Consult your doctor for the latest information.

In the US, before the measles vaccine became available, there were approximately 450,000 measles cases each year and an average of 450 measles-associated deaths were reported each year. Widespread use of MMR vaccine has led to a 99% reduction in measles cases compared with the pre-vaccine era.

However, measles is common in other countries where it spreads rapidly and can be easily brought into countries where vaccination programs are common. So, if vaccinations were stopped, then measles would return to pre-vaccine levels and hundreds of people would die from measles-related illnesses every year.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 9th, 2006 at 8:25 pm and is filed under Measles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.