What you need to know about measles in the United States because the number of cases beats a record

The number of measles cases this year is now the highest ever recorded in this century – and only in April. While several epidemics continue to rage across the country, officials fear the disease will resume, reversing the public health triumph in decades.

On Wednesday, April 24 at 3 pm, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of 695 cases of measles in 22 states. This is the highest number of measles cases since the year 2000, when the health authorities declared the elimination of measles (which means that there was no longer continuous transmission of measles). viral disease in the United States, although international travelers may continue to import the disease). It is also the largest number of cases observed since 1994, when there were 958 cases.

The year 1994 is also an important step. He marked the launch of the federally funded "Vaccines for Children" program, which provides vaccines at no cost to children whose parents or guardians may not otherwise afford. From then on, the annual number of measles cases fell sharply: 448 in 1996, 138 in 1997 and 86 in 2000, the year of the declaration of elimination.

Diving disease

The rapid decline after the VFC program in 1994 was only the last trump of the success of measles control in public health. A few years earlier, in 1990, the number of cases rose to 27,786. A few decades earlier – before the measles vaccine was licensed in 1963 – the number of cases ranged from about half a million per year. Between 1958 and 1962, 503,282 measles cases and 432 badociated deaths were reported on average at the CDC each year. And these are just official figures. The CDC estimates that the number of actual cases each year is between 3 and 4 million.

As long as measles has not been eradicated globally, we will never completely shake off this highly contagious disease. But a fall from millions of annual cases to 86 in four decades is an undeniable success. In fact, some public health officials are wondering if this has been a little too successful.

The current upsurge in measles – both in the United States and abroad – is largely attributed to misinformation spread by anti-vaccine advocates who falsely claim that measles vaccine is harmful (it is not he is very safe and very effective). Much of the problem, however, is that parents are no longer aware of the horrors of vaccine-preventable diseases – from debilitating polio to whooping cough through rib fracture, burning fever, and life-threatening complications. fever. measles. Thus, the perceived risks of vaccination can tip the risk-benefit badysis into the minds of uninformed parents, when they consider that the risks related to the diseases themselves are negligible. But make no mistake, these diseases are serious.

Measles is deadly

The highly infectious respiratory disease begins with fever, cough, conjunctivitis (red and watery eyes) and runny nose. White spots (Koplik spots) in the mouth may appear a few days later. A few days more, bring the red rash and burning fevers that can reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Complications may occur for all victims, but children aged 5 and under are particularly vulnerable. The most common complications are ear infections and diarrhea. But there is also a potential risk of severe inflammation of the lungs and airways (croup), pneumonia and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) that can lead to seizures and lasting intellectual impairment. One or two in every 1,000 children will die of the disease. In pregnant women, the disease can lead to premature birth and low birth weight.

Surviving the disease does not mean you are in the clear. The virus can weaken the immune system for months or even years, leaving survivors vulnerable to many other infections. In addition, in rare cases, it is thought that the virus is hiding in the brain, causing a slowly evolving or even fatal neurological disorder called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). It usually occurs six to eight years after the initial infection and begins with a subtle mental decline, such as a loss of memory, as well as irritability and motor problems, such as saccadic involuntary. From there, crises and blindness can progress. In the final stages, patients may lose the ability to walk before becoming comatose and fall into a vegetative state. SSPE usually kills with fever, heart failure or destroying the autonomic nervous system, which regulates breathing and heart rate among other essential functions. Most cases are seen in children who have contracted measles early in life (before the age of 2) and most of them die of the disease in the first three years after diagnosis. .

Without striking images of miserable measles rashes, severe complications and neurological horrors, vaccination is declining worldwide. The World Health Organization recently noted a 300% increase in measles cases in the first three months of 2019 compared to the first three months of last year.

In the United States, at least six outbreaks are underway, and it is possible that other outbreaks occur when the highly contagious virus infects in communities where vaccination rates are low. Most cases involve children who have not been vaccinated. However, others are also vulnerable, including children too young to be vaccinated (usually those younger than 12 months), people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients on chemotherapy, and those vaccinated. there are several decades with only one of two doses of vaccine now recommended. to achieve 97% efficiency.

On Thursday, April 25, two California public universities quarantined over 100 students and potentially exposed staff. At the same time, officials in Rockland County, New York, proclaimed their second state of emergency on the epidemic.

The CDC updates the number of measles cases confirmed each Monday.