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Aug 25, 2008 02:47 PM | 10
Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the U.S. has seen more cases of measles than at any time since 1996 in the last six months—and its stories like that that have caught the attention of actress Amanda Peet, among others concerned about the resurgence. In Europe and the U.K., children are dying of measles. Declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, and as recently as the early 1960s, as many as 500 children in this country died every year from the viral disease, characterized by a red rash and highly infectious cough.
The first outbreak of 2008 came via a 7-year-old boy from San Diego, who traveled to Switzerland with his family. He had not been vaccinated and contracted measles, which he subsequently passed on to schoolmates, infants at his doctor's office and children around him in the hospital.
Despite a visible rash, he had not been quarantined at the hospital or doctor's office. "They're not seeing measles anymore," says Jane Seward, deputy director of the division of viral diseases at the CDC. "They have forgotten about the severity."
ScientificAmerican.com's David Biello spoke with Seward about the 131 cases that have occurred through July.
SA: How dangerous is measles?
JS: Anyone with a rash illness that's compatible [with measles] needs to be isolated the minute they are seen. People have forgotten what measles looks like and have forgotten how infectious it is…
Back in the early part of the century, it killed thousands of people a year. The biggest year was 10,000. Over the years, those deaths declined but in the 1960s, right before the vaccine was developed, it killed 400 to 500 children every year out of 500,000 reported cases at that time. Three to four million cases actually occurred, because not all cases get reported.
Of those 500,000 reported cases, there were 4,000 cases of encephalitis a year. That's brain infection and can have some serious sequellae, like retardation and things like that. Measles can also cause pneumonia…
Some parents think that American medical care is such that it can treat any complication on measles. They're not right on that. Medical care is the same as the 1960s in terms of encephalitis. There's very little that can be done to alter that outcome. And there is no treatment for measles as such. There are no antivirals to use.
SA: Why are so many cases coming out of Europe?
JS: In the U.K., they've seen a decline in their vaccine coverage because of autism concern. They have now announced that there is endemic transmission of the disease in England. The situation there is parents choosing not to vaccinate.
Some of the countries in Europe, they never achieved as high vaccination coverage as we did. Europe doesn't do as good a job with vaccine coverage. There's an outbreak in Austria and Germany with up into the hundreds of cases.
Israel has a very similar amount of vaccine coverage as the U.S. but they are experiencing an outbreak. That's in a community that is opposed to vaccination. You can have sizable communities that oppose vaccination and that can lead to much bigger outbreaks.
It's keeping us on our guard. We do continue to have imports, there was another one from Italy identified [in the last few days.] Italy is really hopping with measles. We're going to be watching closely as people come back from Beijing. There was one case from China this year but also mixing with travelers from other countries in China.
SA: Is vaccination in the U.S. declining?
JS: The 2007 numbers are going to be released soon so I can't give you those. What I can say is, we are not concerned. But those numbers reflect practice from a few years ago.
SA: How infectious is measles?
JS: It's the most highly infectious virus there is. If you have 100 unvaccinated people in a room and a person with measles walks in and coughs, 90 people or more will get measles. It's just very, very infectious. Coughing will aersolize the virus.
SA: Does this mean the other diseases in the vaccine package—mumps and rubella—will also make a comeback?
JS: Measles is the sentinel. It's highly infectious, pretty easy to recognize and confirm with lab tests.
Rubella vaccine is very effective and rubella is not as contagious as measles. You only need one dose of rubella vaccine for very high effectiveness and most people get two. We haven't seen an increase in rubella.
Mumps had a large outbreak in 2006. We are not sure if we eliminated it like measles and rubella. It wasn't because of people coming back from overseas although the virus did come from overseas. The mumps vaccine is just not as effective and this happened in vaccinated kids, kids in college.
SA: What advice do you have for parents who are concerned about vaccinating their child?
JS: I encourage them to talk to their physician and get the best available information on what they are concerned about. There is a lot of misinformation on the web. We all use it a lot, but there's a lot of misinformation there.
This vaccine has never contained thimerosal [a mercury-derived preservative linked by some to autism.] We don't consider that involved in causing autism but thimerosal was not included [in the measles vaccine].
It's a difficult decision for parents, I understand that. They want their children to be healthy and safe. Measles remains a risk.
Credit: istockphoto.com
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10 Comments
Add CommentIts due to the IMMIGRATION legal and MAINLY ILLEGAL from third world countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEurope is experiencing the largest immigrant increase from third world countries since recorded history. That has more of an impact then those that chose not to immunize.
Why no report on the amount of measles outbreaks in MEXICO or Somalia or any middle eastern country?
Careful SA your letting your PC bias get in the way of scientific fact.
Okay, it is unlikely that in Mexico and Somalia and other middle Easter countries that they have the data on disease. Collecting data on a public health hazard is not a trivial thing. In addition, not all those countries are forthcoming with information that may make them look unfavorable. That is 1. they might not have the data collection abilities. 2. They may choose to suppress the information in any event. Neither of those cases has anything to do with SA PC bias.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Machine, it has less to do with illegal immigrants than the vaccinations. A kid goes to Europe with its parents, gets measles, and brings it back here, where MORE kids aren't vaccinated because of stupid paronoia with no scientific basis. We're losing our herd immunity, and the few are providing a chink in the armour of the many.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy only child, Ryan died from a vaccine preventable form of meningococcal meningitis.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs more and more parents op out of vaccines for their children we are sure to see return of epidemics of deadly debilitating diseases like those in countries today where vaccination rates are low. Countries where thousands of children die each day from diseases that could have been prevented.
Had Ryan been vaccinated, I would not have had to stand by and watch him die a horrible death. Ryan went from perfect health to blood coming from every orifice of his body and death within 14 hours .
I will never be called mom again, be a parent at his wedding or hold a grandchild. His name and photo reside on a cold piece of granite in a cemetery. The pain of his needless death lives in my broken heart.
No infant, child, teen or adult should have to die from a vaccine preventable disease.
I along with other parents who have lost children to meningitis, pertussis, chicken pox, pneumococcal disease, influenza and other vaccine preventable diseases can prove what took our children.
Can those who claim the dangers of vaccines truly, factually , scientifically prove what they say? Or is it merely speculation?
Will they be responsible when other parents listen to them and refuse to vaccinate and their children are debilitated or worse die from a vaccine preventable disease?
Everyday, I regret the fact I was not aware of a vaccine that could have prevented Ryan's death. Parents are aware now.
Facts: One simply has to walk around an old cemetery, see the countless infants, children and teens buried there to see the value of vaccines. Vaccine preventable diseases can kill and debilitate. Vaccines save lives.
Parents should research for themselves the true proven facts, science and talk to their health care provider before opting out of immunizations and risking the life of their child.
Frankie Milley, Mom to Ryan
Bringing actress, Amanda Peet into a Sci Am article is just wrong. She called parents who don't have their kids vaccinated 'parasites', a complete misuse of the word. Parents who don't have their kids vaccinated are idiots; well-meaning idiots, but idiots just the same.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow that a scientific giant like Dr. Amanda Peet has weighed in on the subject, we all can shut up and go home.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe parasites who don't want their babies injected with mercury, aluminum, embalming fluid, antifreeze, ammonia and aborted fetal tissue should be ashamed of themselves. Don't they know doctors are saints who work tirelessly for the betterment of humanity? We need more folks like Dr. Bruce Ivins, the USAMRIID anthrax expert who killed five people to warn us all of the dangers of anthrax.
Anyone who disagrees with the geniuses who brought us Vioxx, (200,000 dead worldwide) Zyprexa (180,000 new cases of diabetes) and Thalidomide must be an idiot. Thank you for bringing civility and good sense to the discussion.
I feel all safe and warm with reasonable, well-informed folks like him in charge of our health, don't you?
Yeah, guess I'm an idiot for not vaccinating my kids, huh. But after having an adverse reaction to an MMR shot when I was 12, I did my homework and bet on hygiene and the body's natural immunity as adequate defenses against pathogens. And I bet right. Three healthy kids who manage to whether far fewer illnesses than their vaccinated counterparts (probably has something to do with healthier diets as well). This piece is a full of numbers and full of fear - but if you actually remove the numbers from the context of 'oh my god - children are dying because of their uninformed idiot parents' - you'll see that one could as easily make a case against vaccines. 1/10 of one percent of measles cases are fatal? Okay, now how many adverse events occur as a result of vaccines? Wanna bet its higher than 1/10th? I guarantee it is - but you'll never see data to support it, because like the case of severe GI distress that came on shortly after my MMR shot, I'd venture that well over 90% of adverse events are not reported. Or, if they are reported, they're attributed to some other causation - because we all know vaccines are perfectly, absolutely, unquestioningly safe, right? Right? Injecting pathogens directly into the bloodstream? Really? Bypassing the majority of the body's immune responses and injecting foreign substances into your bloodstream? 26 injections for children under the age of two? Why? Because their poor imperfect immune systems need some assistance that evolution failed to equip them with? Not saying the right shot at the right time can't save a person's life - but fact is we're all still guinea pigs...or sheep - because we trust the medical industrial complex implicitly, with our lives. Good luck with your next shot. Chin up. Chances are you'll be just fine...and if you aren't, there will undoubtedly be a reasonable explanation...having nothing to do with the vaccine.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy doesn't any reporter just ask the most important (and simple)question... would you rather your child have measles, or autism?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCompare the severity of both:
Measles -
Most patients with uncomplicated measles will recover with rest and supportive treatment. The fatality rate from measles for otherwise healthy people in developed countries is low: approximately 1 death per thousand cases.
AND..get this, no drugs are known to cure measles.
Autism -
There is no cure. Children recover occasionally, sometimes after intensive treatment and sometimes not; it is not known how often this happens.
Many medications are used to treat problems associated with ASD. More than half of U.S. children diagnosed with ASD are prescribed psychoactive drugs or anticonvulsants, with the most common drug classes being antidepressants, stimulants, and antipsychotics. Treatment is expensive; indirect costs are more so. A U.S. study estimated an average cost of $3.2 million in 2003 U.S. dollars for someone born in 2000, with about 10% medical care, 30% extra education and other care, and 60% lost economic productivity.
Of that $3.2 million that each autistic person may cost, who do you think is at the receiving end of this spending? Possibly...pharmaceutical companies...that not only make the vaccinations but also make the drugs used to manage the disorder.
How could anyone choose to put their child at risk of developing a lifelong disabling disorder like autism in order to reduce (not even eliminate!) the chance of contracting measles?
And yes, there are some very effective vaccines out there...but why put them in a humans body when it is only days, weeks, months old? Get your vaccinations from seriously fatal diseases, such as meningitis...but wait until the child is older and do some research as to what the health risks are if you travel to areas of the planet where you (and your children) can be exposed to dangerous contagious diseases. Everybody wants an easy, one shot, miracle cure for everything...when the best way to protect your child is to do your research. You may just know better about what your child's needs are than the US government does.
DUH - you people!! Why do you think that the CDC is not testing people for the strain of measles that they are carrying? It would be linked to the vaccine in current use, that's why! Outbreaks? Yes, started by the vaccinated!! Also, the number of deaths from disease HAS NOT changed since the introduction of each vaccine. The number of disease cases, yes. Deaths, no. So, the vaccines didn't do any good. My baby and I were injured by vaccines just last year. I will never vaccinated myself or loved ones again. It will be a cold day in hell before I am forced to.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDon't believe a word Frankie Milley says. Nothing more that a Big Pharma employee. How do I know this? Everything is cut and pasted from other websites. Pretty good story though Frankie. It is just sad that you have to resort to new lows to scare people into vaccinating their precious loved ones. By the way everyone - less than 1% of serious vaccine reactions are ever reported by doctors. If your child dies by way of a vaccine, you have less than a 50% chance of winning your claim in court too. Bush has shielded all vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits too. Gotta love the U.S.
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