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.