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Measles Is Making A Comeback: Can We Stop It?

Seven Things To Know About The Recent Measles Outbreaks. Has The Recent News About Measles Outbreaks I...

Healthwatch 15

Seven things to know about the recent measles outbreaks.

Has the recent news about measles outbreaks in the US surprised you? Didn’t it seem like we were done with measles?

In the US, widespread vaccination halted the ongoing spread of measles more than 20 years ago, a major public health achievement. Before an effective vaccine was developed in the 1960s, nearly every child in the US got measles. Complications like measles-related pneumonia or hearing loss were common, and 400 to 500 people died each year.

As I write this, there have been 1,227 confirmed cases in 36 states, mostly among children. The biggest outbreak is in west Texas, where 97 people have been hospitalized and two unvaccinated school-age children recently died, the first measles deaths in the US since 2015. Officials in New Mexico have also reported a measles-related death.

Can we prevent these tragedies?

Measles outbreaks are highly preventable. It’s estimated that when 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, both those individuals and others in their community are protected against measles.

But nationally, measles vaccination rates among school-age kids fell from 95% in 2019 to 92% in 2023. Within Texas, the kindergarten vaccination rates have dipped below 95% in about half of all state counties. In the community at the center of the west Texas outbreak, the reported rate is 82%. Declining vaccination rates are common in other parts of the US, too, and that leaves many people vulnerable to measles infections.

Only 3% of the recent cases in the US involved people known to be fully vaccinated. The rest were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccine status (95%), or they had received only one of the two vaccine doses (2%).

What to know about measles

As measles outbreaks occur within more communities, it’s important to understand why this happens — and how to stop it. Here are seven things to know about measles.

The measles virus is highly contagious

Several communities have suffered outbreaks in recent years. The measles virus readily spreads from person to person through the air we breathe. It can linger in the air for hours after a sneeze or cough. Estimates suggest nine out of 10 nonimmune people exposed to measles will become infected. Measles is far more contagious than the flu, COVID-19, or even Ebola.

Early diagnosis is challenging

It usually takes seven to 14 days for symptoms to show up once a person gets infected. Common early symptoms — fever, cough, runny nose — are similar to other viral infections such as colds or flu. A few days into the illness, painless, tiny white spots in the mouth (called Koplik spots) appear. But they’re easy to miss, and are absent in many cases. A day or two later, a distinctive skin rash develops.

Unfortunately, a person with measles is highly contagious for days before the Koplik spots or skin rash appear. Very often, others have been exposed by the time measles is diagnosed and precautions are taken.

Measles can be serious and even fatal

Measles is not just another cold. A host of complications can develop, including

brain inflammation (encephalitis), which can lead to seizures, hearing loss, or intellectual disability

pneumonia

eye inflammation (and occasionally, vision loss)

poor pregnancy outcomes, such as miscarriage

subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare and lethal disease of the brain that can develop years after the initial measles infection.

Complications are most common among children under age 5, adults over age 20, pregnant women, and people with an impaired immune system. Measles is fatal in up to three of every 1,000 cases.

During the latest outbreaks, 148 cases — about one in eight — have required hospitalization.

Getting measles may suppress your immune system

When you get sick from a viral or bacterial infection, antibodies created by your immune system will later recognize and help mount a defense against these intruders. In 2019, a study at Harvard Medical School (HMS) found that the measles virus may wipe out up to three-quarters of antibodies protecting against viruses or bacteria that a child was previously immune to — anything from strains of the flu to herpesvirus to bacteria that cause pneumonia and skin infections.

“If your child gets the measles and then gets pneumonia two years later, you wouldn’t necessarily tie the two together. The symptoms of measles itself may be only the tip of the iceberg,” said the study’s first author, Dr. Michael Mina, who was a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of geneticist Stephen Elledge at HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital at the time of the study.

In this video, Mina and Elledge discuss their findings.

Vaccination is highly effective

Two doses of the current vaccine provide 97% protection — much higher than most other vaccines. Rarely, a person gets measles despite being fully vaccinated. When that happens, the disease tends to be milder and less likely to spread to others.

The measles vaccine is safe

The safety profile of the measles vaccine is excellent. Common side effects include temporary soreness in the arm, low-grade fever, and muscle pain, as is true for most vaccinations. A suggestion that measles or other vaccines cause autism has been convincingly discredited. However, this often-repeated misinformation has contributed to significant vaccine hesitancy and falling rates of vaccination.

Ways to protect yourself from measles infection

Vaccination. Usually, children are given the first dose around age 1 and the second between ages 4 and 6 as part of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine. If a child — or adult — hasn’t been vaccinated, they can have these doses later.

If you were born after 1957 and received a measles vaccination before 1968, consider getting revaccinated or tested for measles antibodies (see below). The vaccine given before 1968 was less effective than later versions. And before 1957, most people became immune after having measles, although this immunity can wane.

Isolation. To limit spread, everyone diagnosed with measles and anyone who might be infected should avoid close contact with others until four days after the rash resolves.

Mask-wearing by people with measles can help prevent spread to others. Household members or other close contacts should also wear a mask to avoid getting it.

Frequent handwashing helps keep the virus from spreading.

Testing. If you aren’t sure about your measles vaccination history or whether you may be vulnerable to infection, consider having a blood test to find out if you’re immune to measles. Memories about past vaccinations can be unreliable, especially if decades have gone by, and immunity can wane.

Pre-travel planning. If you are headed to a place where measles is common, make sure you are up to date with vaccinations.

The bottom line

While news about measles in recent months may have been a surprise, it’s also alarming. Experts warn that the number of cases (and possibly deaths) are likely to increase. And due to falling vaccination rates, outbreaks are bound to keep occurring. One study estimates that between nine and 15 million children in the US could be susceptible to measles.

But there’s also good news: we know that measles outbreaks can be contained and the disease itself can be eliminated. Learn how to protect yourself and your family. Engage respectfully with people who are vaccine hesitant: share what you’ve learned from reliable sources about the disease, especially about the well-established safety of vaccination.

Harvard Health Publishing

Anambra Man Gets Life Sentence For Robbery

A High Court Sitting In Neni, Anambra State, Presided Over By Justice G. C. Anulude, Has Sentenced One Nonso Anunuobi To Life Impr...

News_Naija 28

A High Court sitting in Neni, Anambra State, presided over by Justice G. C. Anulude, has sentenced one Nonso Anunuobi to life imprisonment for his involvement in a case of conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping, and attempted murder. The defendant was charged with conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder contrary to the Criminal Code Act and the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, alongside other relevant legislation. The verdict, delivered by the judge of the Anambra State High Court 1, followed a painstaking trial process that lasted several years, during which damning evidence was presented against the convict. According to details of the case (charge no. NN/5C/2019), as obtained by our correspondent on Friday, the defendant, alongside his gang members, waylaid their victim, one Aloysius Obidinma, at Ifitedunu in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state, while he was returning to Onitsha from his hometown. It was gathered that the unsuspecting victim was ambushed, brutally assaulted, shot, and dragged into the criminals’ vehicle. The hoodlums, it was further revealed, dispossessed the victim of his car, laptop, phones, and other personal effects, before demanding ransom from his family as a condition for his release. Their dastardly acts were, however, exposed when law enforcement officers swung into action, tracked one of the stolen devices, which eventually led them to apprehend the culprits. The prosecution, led by the Assistant Chief State Counsel, Fabian Okeke, provided substantial evidence linking the culprit to the heinous crime and reminded the court that “under the law, a conviction for armed robbery ordinarily attracts a death sentence.” The defense counsel, however, passionately pleaded for leniency on behalf of the accused. However, in his judgment, Justice Anulude, after careful consideration of the final addresses and the weight of evidence before the court, convicted the defendant and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The judge noted, “While the law stipulates death for armed robbery, the peculiar circumstances and the plea for mercy influenced the decision of the court. “The court finds the accused guilty as charged, and the cruelty of the acts committed cannot be glossed over. “This judgment will serve as a strong deterrent to other criminally-minded elements who may wish to terrorise law-abiding citizens in the society.” Reacting, the Assistant Chief State Counsel, Okeke, while expressing satisfaction with the ruling, reiterated the need for continuous collaboration among the police, the judiciary, and the public to sustain the gains made in the fight against violent crimes in the state.

Read more stories like this on punchng.com

Search For Missing Texas Children Continues As Toll From Floods Rises To 50

Authorities In US State Face Questions About Whether They Issued Proper Warnings In Advance Of Rain-fuelled Flooding. Deadly Texas...

Worldnews 14

Authorities in US state face questions about whether they issued proper warnings in advance of rain-fuelled flooding. Deadly Texas floods: Search efforts underway for missing children Rescuers in the United States are scrambling to find dozens of children who went missing from a Christian summer camp in the state of Texas during flash floods triggered by a powerful storm, as the death toll from the disaster has risen to at least 50 people. Officials in hard-hit Kerr County said on Saturday that the toll included 15 children. They said 850 others had been rescued in the last two days from the area, which lies about 137km (85 miles) northwest of San Antonio. “We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children,” said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region. Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50. The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8m) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. While the National Weather Service (NWS) said the flash-flood emergency had largely ended for Kerr County – the epicentre of the flooding – it warned of more heavy rain to come, maintaining its flood watch until 7pm local time (00:00 GMT on Sunday). Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County, where most of the dead were recovered. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. “We don’t know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side,” he said on Fox News Live. Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead. “We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found,” he said. Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to officials. Another girls’ camp, Heart O’ the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood, but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro said rescue workers had promised to “not give up until the very last person is found – either alive or their body is recovered”. “That might be a tall order given just how catastrophic these floods were. We’re talking about a region that is dotted with hills and with canyons,” she said. She added that children in the camps had been particularly vulnerable to the floodwaters, “which rose by 8 metres [26 feet] in less than an hour, overnight, as they slept”. The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday weekend caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. Authorities have come under increasing scrutiny over whether they issued proper warnings and whether enough preparations were made. “A lot of questions are being asked about why there weren’t earlier evacuations,” said Al Jazeera’s Zhou-Castro. “They knew there might be rain, they just didn’t know where it would hit, and when it did, it indeed was catastrophic.” On Saturday, President Donald Trump said the federal government was working with state and local officials to respond to the flooding. “Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem would soon be on the ground. The weekend disaster echoes a catastrophic flood almost 40 years ago along the Guadalupe River. In 1987, a bus and a van leaving a church camp encountered floodwaters, and 10 teenagers drowned trying to escape, according to a NWS summary of that incident. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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A Low-tech School Vacation: Keeping Kids Busy And Happy Without Screens

Nine Ways To Encourage Children To Connect, Create, And Play Off-screen. School Vacation Coming Up? Wo...

Healthwatch 32

Nine ways to encourage children to connect, create, and play off-screen.

Father, daughter, and son playing soccer on the grass in a park;

School vacation coming up? Wondering how to spend that time? Given how tiring holidays can be — especially for parents who are working — it's understandable why children are often allowed to spend hours with the TV, tablet, or video games. After all, happy, quiet kids make for happy parents who can finally get stuff done — or relax.

Except kids are spending way too much time in front of screens. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, kids ages 8 to 12 are spending four to six hours a day watching or using screens — and tweens and teens are spending nine hours.

Given how enticing devices and social media can be, those numbers can easily go higher during unscheduled times like weekends and school vacation. That's why it's good to be proactive and come up with other activities. Below are some ideas for parents and caregivers to try. These are mostly good for kids through elementary school, but tweens and teens may enjoy some of them too.

Spending time off the screen

Go outside. This sounds obvious, but spending time outdoors is something kids do less than they used to — and it can be really fun. If you have a yard, go out into it and play hide-and-seek or build a fort from snow or anything else that's around. If you don't have a yard, go to a local park or just go for a walk. A scavenger hunt up and down the block or game of I Spy may be a good enticement.

Go to the library. Do this early on in vacation, so that your child has lots of books, puzzles, and games to pass the time. Check out as many as they allow and you can carry. Ask if a Library of Things is available at a branch near you: crafts, tools, musical instruments, birding kits, telescopes — even metal detectors may be checked out for free.

Build a fort in the living room. Use blankets or sheets over chairs; if you have a small tent, set it up. Bring in pillows, sleeping bags, and flashlights; let the kids sleep in it at night. Let it stay up all vacation.

Build a city in the living room. Use blocks, Legos, boxes (or anything else), and add roads, cars, people, animals, trains, and other toys. Let it stay up all vacation, and make it bigger every day.

Getting creative off the screen

Get creative. Go to the craft store and stock up on inexpensive supplies. Buy things like poster board, huge pieces of paper (you could use those for your city, too, to make parks, roads, and parking lots), paints, and markers. You can make a paper mural, a comic book, a story, posters, or whatever catches your child's imagination. If you know how to knit or sew, think about teaching your child or making a simple project together. Play music while you create.

Read out loud. There are so many books that are fun to read aloud. When my children were younger, we read the Harry Potter series out loud, as well as the Chronicles of Narnia and books by E.B. White and Roald Dahl. Act out the voices. Have some fun.

Have a puppet show. If you don't have puppets, you can make some with socks — or you can hold up dolls or action figures and do the talking for them. You can make a makeshift stage by cutting out the back of a box and taping cloth (like a pillowcase) to fall over the front.

Get out the games. There are so many that work across the ages, like checkers, chess, Uno, Connect 4, Sorry, Twister, Clue, Scrabble, or Monopoly. We forget how much fun these can be.

Bake. You don't have to get fancy — it's fine to use mixes or pre-made cookie dough. There's nothing better than baked goods straight from the oven, and adding frosting and decorations makes it even more fun. Turn on music and dance while things bake.

While parents or caregivers need to be involved with some of these activities (like the ones involving the oven, or reading out loud), kids can do many of them independently once you have it started. Which, really, is what children need: time to use their imagination and just play.

But you just may find that once you have things started, you'll want to play, too.