Last updated on November 3rd, 2019 at 01:13 pm
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services have reported that the ongoing measles epidemic has, as of 19 September 2019, has resulted in 1241 cases in 31 states. This makes 2019 (which is around 9 months old) the worst year for measles since 1992, when there were 963 cases for all 12 months.
At this rate, we can expect well over 1500 measles cases for 2019, making it the worst year since the major measles epidemics of the late 1980s.
In 2000, the CDC had stated that measles was eradicated in the USA. But as a result of fears and misinformation about the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, vaccination rates have dropped allowing measles to again attack children.
US measles epidemic, 2019 version
Of course, much of this misinformation about the MMR vaccine can be laid at the feet of that cunning fraud, Andrew Wakefield. Despite the preponderance of the evidence that refutes the claims that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism, parents’ fears remain.
Much of the 2019 US measles epidemic can be tied to outbreaks in three areas – Washington state along with Rockland County and Brooklyn, NY Orthodox Jewish communities. Most of the measles cases have been in unvaccinated individuals.
As a result of these particular outbreaks during the 2019 US measles epidemic,
- Rockland County has ordered those with measles or who have been exposed to measles to remain at home or be subject to a US$2000 fine.
- New York City has ordered mandatory measles vaccinations in certain Brooklyn zip codes or violators face a US$1000 fine. A court challenge was dismissed.
- Washington state has a new law signed by Governor Jay Inslee to end most exemptions, though it annoyingly continues to allow religious exemptions, despite the fact that not one single mainstream religion opposes vaccinations.
- Maine just passed a law ending all but medical exemptions for vaccines.
- The CDC is implementing several steps to deal with the epidemic and limit dangerous complications for children.
- New York just passed and Governor Andrew M Cuomo signed a law that removes all religious exemptions for vaccinations.
- A recent report in the Lancet predicted measles outbreaks based on low vaccination rates. It was, of course, spot on.
- As a result of the measles epidemic in Europe, which has the same underlying causes as the USA’s, Germany’s government has proposed legislation to make measles vaccinations mandatory.
- A 43-year-old Israeli flight attendant died of the measles. Just to remind everyone, measles is dangerous, and it can kill even healthy adults, so it’s not too late to get the measles vaccine even if you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or whatever age you are.
Measles season
Vincent Iannelli, MD, wrote about “measles seasons” at Vaxopedia (one of the best vaccine myth debunking sites). I was unaware that there were seasonal variations in measles incidence, but here are the key times for measles outbreaks:
- during the late winter and early spring (temperate climates, like the United States)
- after the rainy season (tropical climates)
- when kids are in school
Dr. Iannelli writes that it’s always measles season somewhere. So, even as the number of cases has slowed down during the summer in the USA, people can travel with their unvaccinated children to areas that may be experiencing a measles epidemic and bring it back to other unvaccinated individuals, including those who cannot be vaccinated.
We’re now entering the measles season for 2019.
Vaccine
The CDC recommends the vaccine for everyone over a year old, except for individuals who had the disease as a child. The CDC recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.
This means that children under 12 months can be at risk of the disease from unvaccinated individuals, and it most dangerous to them.
Happy healthy children protected from measles by vaccines. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Measles is not benign
Which leads me to remind everyone that measles is not a harmless disease, despite the false claims of the anti-vaccine religion. According to the CDC, some of the many measles complications are:
- About 30% of measles cases develop one or more complications.
- Pneumonia, which is the complication that is most often the cause of death in young children.
- Ear infections occur in about 1 in 10 measles cases and permanent loss of hearing can result.
- Diarrhea is reported in about 8% of cases.
- As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia.
- About 1 child in every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, deafness, and other long-term neurological deficits.
- A measles infection can result in short- and long-term immune system dysfunction which can leave the child susceptible to other diseases early in life (which is in direct opposition of claims by anti-vaccine activists that it helps “boost” the immune system.
- About 1-2 children, out of 1000 who contract measles, may develop subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare chronic, progressive encephalitis that affects primarily children and young adults– it is caused by a persistent infection of the measles virus. The disease starts with measles infection, usually before the age of 2 years, followed by approximately 6-15 asymptomatic years. Some researchers think the asymptomatic period is around 5-8 years after the initial disease. Gradually, the disease progresses with psychological and neurological deterioration, which can include personality changes, seizures, and coma. It is always ultimately fatal.
- And sadly, for every 1,000 children who get measles, 1 or 2 will die from it.
These measles complications are more common among children under 5 years of age and adults over 20 years old (usually those with lapsed immunity).
The states that have reported cases to CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
States that have reported measles cases to the CDC.
Even in previously healthy children, measles can be a serious illness requiring hospitalization. Measles also can make a pregnant woman have a miscarriage, give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.
There is only one good way to prevent measles unless you want your child to live in a hermetically-sealed bubble forever – get the MMR vaccine.
Serious complications to measles can be as high as 3 out of every 10 children who get the disease. Serious complications from the MMR vaccine is approximately 1 out of every 1 million vaccine doses. The benefit to risk calculation is way over on the side of vaccines.
Healthy kids protected from measles. At least, we hope they are. Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
Summary of the US measles epidemic
The 2019 US measles epidemic has become a serious public health issue. Even though it hasn’t struck millions of children (thank you vaccines), the numbers are much higher than they have been over the past 25 years.
Get the MMR vaccine. It is safe and effective, that is settled science.
Citations
- Mina MJ. Measles, immune suppression and vaccination: direct and indirect nonspecific vaccine benefits. J Infect. 2017 Jun;74 Suppl 1:S10-S17. doi: 10.1016/S0163-4453(17)30185-8. Review. PubMed PMID: 28646947.
[wp_ad_camp_5]
