Measles Disease
Measles disease is also referred to as rubella which is one of the most contagious and infectious diseases. Measles is an infection which is viral as it infects the respiratory system (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012). The disease can be spread through getting contact with an infected individual saliva as well as mucus. Sneezing and coughing of those that are infected can additionally cause virus released in the air which may cause infection because the virus has the capability of living on the surface for a few hours. Therefore, an individual with close proximity may become infected when the virus rests on the surface (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012).
The disease is characterized by at least 90% infection rate which is secondary in the susceptible contacts in domestic areas. Measles has the capability of affecting individuals from all ages despite the disease being considered as a childhood primary illness (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012). The disease is caused by the virus of measles and those with the disease can spread it with four days before the appearances of rashes. The start up signs of measles disease includes running nose, inflamed eyes, cough and fever which are often characterized by body temperature degree which is over 40. After the symptoms start within three or two day’s spots may form in the mouth which is white and is described as koplik’s spots. Red rashes that are flat then begin to form on the face hen spreading gradually to the rest of the body which beginnings after three or five days after the development of the symptoms. The symptoms may last for about 10 days and they develop after 10 or 12 days after an exposure to an infected individual (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012).
Complications may also occur but this is associated with 30% of the infected individuals which may include blindness, brain inflammation, pneumonia, diarrhea, blindness as well as other distinct complications (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012). Measles is therefore referred as an airborne disease which spreads highly via sneezes and coughs of those that are infected. Out of ten individual nine who may not be immune and share a living portion with an infected person are bound to catch the illness (Long, Pickering, & Prober, 2012).
In the United States and also internationally measles prevails in cycles which are usually after 2 or 3 years. Before the year, 1912 measles was not among the reportable diseases in the United States and therefore there is no reliable cases number from the time. In the year 1941, there were 134, 894 reported cases (Fischbach, & Dunning, 2009). In 1920 b there were approximately 469, 924 cases of measles that had been recorded and over 7575 reported death in association with measles. Between 1958 and 1962 the United States reported approximately 503, 282 measles cases and the death number in measles association was 432 every year (Fischbach, & Dunning, 2009). The CDC admits that before the licensing of the measles vaccine took place in 1963 there were rapid measles cases because almost all the children were infected with measles and the reported cases were probably over 3.5 million each year. Before the initial measles vaccine was placed on the market in 1920 the number of reported cases was 442,000 and 380 death cases in measles association and among them 3.5 million individuals were American (Fischbach, & Dunning, 2009).
In a period of about eight years between the years nineteen ninety-three and two thousand and one the reported cases were 1804 which were reported in a hundred and twenty outbreaks (Naidoo, & Wills, 2016). This was after the fifteen cases that had been reported between 2001 and 1999 and almost 90% of the students had received MMR vaccine doses and the disease was thus declared nonendemic in 2000 in the United States (Naidoo, & Wills, 2016). In 2015, only 68 cases of measles illness were reported and the CDC asserts that this is influenced by the utilization of the measles vaccine. Based on the study by the national health and the CDC measles transmission was eliminated and sustained in 2000 but several cases are continuously being caused by foreign travelers thus spreading the disease to the unvaccinated individuals (Naidoo, & Wills, 2016). The studies, therefore, reveals that the reported transmitted causes that occurred between 2000 and 2011, 88% of the cases originated from foreign countries (Naidoo, & Wills, 2016).
CDC director noted that in 2013 the cases of measles in the United States increased the previous median threefold to a hundred and seventy-five cases. Most of the cases were children outbreaks whose parents had ignored immunization (Naidoo, & Wills, 2016). According to the studies conducted in the United States as well as globally on the intensity of measles epidemiology, the results indicated that urban districts report fewer cases of measles that suburban areas. This is because the urban areas records hold that only 9.96 individuals are infected with measles out of ten thousand individuals compared 20.2 from the suburban areas (Naidoo, & Wills, 2016).
There are several risk factors for measles disease which may cause the rapid spread of the illness in the population (Sadegh-Zadeh, 2015). These factors include being unvaccinated, global traveling and having the deficiency of vitamin A. If an individual is not vaccinated using the measles vaccine they are more likely to contract and develop the illness. This is because they body lacks the immune of defending them against the illness. The disease is more prompt to individuals at tender ages and therefore, parents are highly encouraged to immunize their children (Sadegh-Zadeh, 2015). However, the disease can attack individual from different ages provided that they are unimmunized. A unvaccinated person is exposed to the dangers of being infected because the disease can surface on the air. Measles is established to be more common among the Mexican-born individuals compared to individuals born in America. These results were derived from the recent rubella epidemiology study conducted in the United States. The individuals were indicated to hold the higher potential of transmitting the disease because they travel often to their native nations and also receive visitors from nations which have a high transmission rate of measles (Sadegh-Zadeh, 2015).
Also traveling to that nation that is characterized with high occurrences of the disease may expose an individual to infection (Sadegh-Zadeh, 2015). These are because the environment in those nations holds a higher risk of spreading the disease and thus, one may catch the illness. Individuals with vitamin A deficiency may also contract measles (Sadegh-Zadeh, 2015). These are because the lack adequate vitamin which is caused by taking diets which do not possess high Vitamin A and therefore they are more likely to contract measles and develop severe symptoms. Risk factors of measles are higher in children who are below the age of 8 months who have not yet received the vaccination (Sadegh-Zadeh, 2015).
The most effective screening test for measles illness is serologic prevaccination screening. The screening method is associated with cost-effectiveness because it does not require much cost in getting the medical diagnoses (Petersen, 2008). Laboratory diagnoses of the illness are done in order to confirm positive antibodies measles or the measles virus isolation from the specimen of the respiratory. Those that their blood cannot be drawn due to medical issues, provide saliva for the testing of specific salivary measles testing. In the diagnosis direct contact with individuals who are known to be infected with measles is useful in adding epidemiological evidence in the tests. This is established through the provided evidence of any direct contact with the infected individuals who include semen which are contacted through sex, mucus and saliva which can cause infections (Petersen, 2008).
The prospect of prevention of measles disease through vaccination is very hopeful. This is because the vaccination strategy supplies high height of durable resistance. (Fauci, & Morens, 2012). Most of the strategies that are utilized in controlling and preventing the occurrences of measles among the population are grounded on the capability of enhancing responses of immune against measles virus. Measles vaccination has a higher capability of increasing the immunity level of infants by increasing their mortality and body defense level against measles and other viral diseases. Vaccination strategy is more hopeful because it provides the body with a higher level of immunity against disease (Fauci, & Morens, 2012). The immune therefore prevents individuals from being attacked by diseases because the vaccines are associated with antigens which help in fighting diseases. The antigens are capable of helping the body to produce antibodies which result to stronger immunity. Moreover, vaccination is a safer option for the first exposure of a child to diseases. This is because the child is able to get protection without getting sick and via immunization children are able to acquire immunity without suffering from the real diseases as the vaccines prevents the occurrences (Fauci, & Morens, 2012).
References
Fauci, A. S., & Morens, D. M. (2012). The perpetual challenge of infectious diseases. New England Journal of Medicine, 366(5), 454-461.
Fischbach, F. T., & Dunning, M. B. (2009). A manual of laboratory and diagnostic tests. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Long, S. S., Pickering, L. K., & Prober, C. G. (2012). Principles and practice of pediatric infectious diseases. Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Naidoo, J., & Wills, J. (2016). Foundations for Health Promotion.
Petersen, P. E. (2008). World Health Organization global policy for improvement of oral health‐World Health Assembly 2007. International dental journal, 58(3), 115-121.
Sadegh-Zadeh, K. (2015). Handbook of analytic philosophy of medicine.
