Measles in the United States
Although Ebola seems like a looming threat, a subtle, more
contagious threat is rising. Measles spreads easily through saliva or aresols. In
2014, there has been 592 cases of measles in the United States, part of 18
outbreaks in 21 states-- almost three times the less than 200 cases of measles in
the US in 2013. This is particularly troubling, because measles is the fastest
spreading disease in human history—each infected person induced 17 secondary
cases in the era before comprehensive vaccines and 3 out of 4 infected died.
For comparison in the 1918 Spanish Influenza of 1918, each infected person
induced only 2-5 secondary cases.
Why this sudden spike in cases? In 1963, comprehensive
vaccination for measles became standard and the disease was declared eliminated
in the United States in 2000. Two doses of the measles vaccine proves to be ninety-nine
percent effective at preventing measles. Forty-eight states allow for
exemptions in vaccines based on personal beliefs (excluding West Virginia and Mississippi).
California allows for a Personal Belief Exemption. In Marin country, where many
of the cases in the 2008 measles outbreak occurred, only 83.5% of school
children had completed their required vaccinations. 2/3 of cases of measles in
the first 9 months of 2013 occurred in “pockets” of unvaccinated populations.
Measles cases typically enter the United States from
international travel, but due to the contagious nature of the disease, any one
who is not vaccinated is at risk to catch measles. If the anti-vaccination movement
continues to gain traction, diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella may not
longer be mostly “eradicated” and become a major public health threat.
Madeleine Bousquet
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1 comment:
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