[ad_1]
In the United States, two large communities are experiencing measles outbreaks, Clark County in Washington State and Brooklyn, New York State. Most cases in New York were by the end of 2018, but the number of cases in the state of Washington continues to increase: 49 cases in January and February were added to this total. Most cases in Clark County, Washington State, involve children under 10 years of age. It is a problem so worrying for public health that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Washington State Public Health Services now view the outbreak as an emergency. .
How did it happen? Public health officials probably explain these causes for two reasons: 1) lack of vaccination in affected communities and 2) international travel. In Washington and New York, vaccinations may be refused for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. According to the Clark County Public Health Director, their vaccination rate is 73%, which is well below the 93% cut-off as the county has become a "hotspot" for vaccine refusals. The Brooklyn cases were attributed to a child who traveled to Israel and contracted the disease, which was brought home in a religious community that does not vaccinate, resulting in 64 confirmed cases to date.
Measles is a horrible disease that is very easy to spread and can have serious or even fatal consequences for those who contract the disease. According to the CDC, in 1963, the year prior to the availability of measles vaccine, more than 500,000 cases of measles were reported in the United States (US), including 2.5 to 3.5 million cases. not reported. Of these cases, 48,000 people were hospitalized, 4,000 had encephalitis (swelling of the brain due to infection) resulting in permanent disability and 500 people died. Deaths mainly occurred in children under 5 years old.
Measles immunization has had a significant impact on these deaths and disabilities. The CDC estimates that through global measles immunization, more than 20.4 million measles-related deaths have been prevented between 2000 and 2016.
Measles outbreaks do not just happen in New York and Washington, states more than 1,000 km away. Five cases have been reported in Houston so far – and West Texas is equally vulnerable to measles outbreaks. Texas allows parents to decide on vaccination for medical, religious and philosophical reasons, as Washington and New York do, and we have many international trips here in the Permian Basin. It is up to all of us to prevent the tragedies that could be caused by a measles epidemic here.
If you can vaccinate yourself and / or your children, do it. This could not only save your life or that of your child, but also that of another person who, for medical reasons, can not take the vaccine. If you choose not to vaccinate, make sure to make this decision knowingly. Talk to your health care provider and consult reliable sources before making these decisions. And if you still choose not to vaccinate, take energetic measures to make sure you do not get in touch with the disease or spread it. The American Academy of Pediatrics publishes an excellent article on protecting your children in the event of a measles outbreak: tinyurl.com/ya2wercw.
Source link
