The Measles Essay, Research Paper
Measles
Rubeola, or the measles, is a highly contagious viral infection. It is
caused by the spread of the paramyxovirus. The symptoms of the Measles are a
fever, a cough, an itchy spreading rash, and a painful sore throat. It
usually
takes seven to fourteen days for these symptoms to appear, that time period
is
called an incubation period. There is no cure for the measles but it can be
prevented through vacancies. .
SYMPTOMS
The first symptoms of the measles include a barking painful cough, a runny
nose. After that the victim may start to develop muscle pains, bloodshot eyes,
and a fever. Then they develop tiny white spots inside their mouths called
Koplik’s spots. A person may also develop a sense of photophobia, sensitivity to
light, and then, the best-known symptom develops, the rash. The rash appears
around the fifth day of the disease. It may last anywhere from four to seven
days. It usually first appears on the face or head, then starts to slowly spread
down the rest of the body. It is a maculopapular rash, which means it appears as
both macules which are flat, discolored areas, and papules, which are solid,
red, raised areas that may later join together. They may bleed slightly, and are
painful.
Treatment
There is no set treatment for the measles. It is treated differently by how
bad of a
case the individual has, as well as their symptoms and personal information.
An individual who has measles is kept apart from other people who have not had
it, or have not been vaccinated . Their sore throat and fever can be treated
with over the counter pain relievers and throat drops.
Before measles vaccine was available, more than 400,000 measles cases were
reported each year in the United States. However, since almost all children got
the measles, the real number of cases probably was almost 4 million per year.
Since 1963, when both an inactivated and a live attenuated vaccine were licensed
for use in the United States, the type of measles vaccine and the recommended
age for measles vaccination have changed several times. After 1967 and 1975, the
inactivated and the Edmonston B vaccine, respectively, were no longer
distributed. A live, further attenuated vaccine (Schwarz strain) was first
introduced in 1965, and a similar vaccine was licensed in 1968. These other
vaccines cause less reactions than the Edmonston B vaccine, but are as, if not
more effective. The Moraten vaccine is the vaccine used right now in the United
States.
In recent years, two major types of outbreaks have happened in the United
States: most are among unvaccinated young children, including those younger than
the recommended age for vaccination , less than fifteen months,and those among
vaccinated school-aged children. In addition, in 1989, a substantial number of
cases broke out among students and people on college campuses. Big outbreaks
happened among unvaccinated young children in inner-city areas. In these
outbreaks, of the cases that happened among children 16 months-4 years of age,
almost 88% of the children were unvaccinated. As many as 40% of cases happened
among children less than 16 months old.. In some of these places, surveys
indicate that 49%-65% of 2-year-olds had measles vaccine. Among school-aged
children, outbreaks have happened in schools with amost all of its students
vaccinated. These outbreaks have occurred in all parts of the country, including
areas that had not reported measles for years.
So, in conclusion, you can see why the measles, or rubeola, is a serious
diesise and requires vaccines. If left un-vaccinated you are at risk for this
harmful and some times deadly diesise. This used to b a common illness, and it
was deadly. Now we can prevent it, and we should at all costs.