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Home > Portable Practical Pediatrics > 2015 Lessons Learned about Measles (Pedcast)
Podcast: Portable Practical Pediatrics
Episode:

2015 Lessons Learned about Measles (Pedcast)
Category: Kids & family
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2016-04-24 20:00:58
Description: Topic Introduction Today I thought it would be useful and informative to review what we have learned in 2015 about a very old but still important disease, measles. I think that the resurgence of measles in 2015, reminds us about why it is important for us, as a society, to stay the course with respect to requiring and giving vaccines.  I hope after listening to today's pedcast, you will agree.  As I like to say, "We don't have to touch the hot stove, to find out that it still hurts" , so to speak!  So sit back and crank up your mp3 player for an important edition of Portable Practical Pediatrics. Musical Introduction The Growing Problem of Vaccine Refusal I am sure you have noticed that there is a relentless and growing number of vaccine refusers in the US which is leading to a higher number of unvaccinated children and adults. Their refusal is becoming a serious public health problem. There was a time in America, when a child getting their shots, was as much a part of their youth as loosing a tooth or running out of class to recess. Not anymore. Many parents have been frightened by much of the negative messaging that vaccine technology has received in the press and social media.  Isn't it ironic that a technology that has literally saved millions of children's lives and countless misery and heartache, has also frightened and confused parents since its inception. For children, “getting their shots” is a brief few moments of terror but for their parents, it has become a subject of considerable angst where they have to confront their own fear of harming their children. Having a baby puts new parents right in the crosshairs of the vaccine safety debate. They are forced to make a monumental decision. From a pediatrician's viewpoint however, having your child vaccinated is one of the most important activities  a parent, can do for their children, involving enormous benefit and very little risk.  For many parents however, it has become an agonizing decision whether to trust or reject the modern medical establishment. Ground Zero in the Vaccine War... Measles Vaccine Ground zero of the vaccine wars is the MMR, a short name for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. In 2000 the CDC announced that measles had been eradicated in the United States but that eradication was short lived. According to the same organization, measles “is a highly contagious, acute viral illness that can lead to complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and death.”(1 ) For a child, being infected with measles is not a reason to stay home and watch cartoons, but rather an illness that is a major infectious disease with a high rate of serious complications. During early 2015, 189 cases of measles were reported in the US mostly due to individuals “who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.” This signifies the importance of continuing prevention. ( 1) For years, health care providers, public health officials, and school systems had been encouraging parents to vaccinate their children but measles is making a comeback, fueled by reservoirs of unvaccinated populations around the world, easy international travel, pockets of  vaccine refusal in the US, and possibly illegal immigration.(2.3) What New Information Has Been Learned in about Measles in 2015? So what new information has been gathered in 2015  regarding the spread of measles worldwide?  First a recent study reconfirmed that the measles vaccine is a highly effective way to stop the spread of measles, especially if most of the population is vaccinated. (7 ) Events also demonstrated, once again, that measles is still deadly and highly contagious.(8 ) War, poverty, and governments that are ineffective or unwilling to put resources into vaccine programs fuel the continued misery of measles.  It is estimated that 145,000 people died from measles worldwide in 2015. The 2015 Disneyland outbreak demonstrated  that the combination of a poorly vaccinated population of people and internati...
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