Public health officials in the U.K. are examining the link between measles cases in south and north Wales.

The National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHSW) is urging parents to give kids the MMR shot after 13 cases in Flintshire and Wrexham.

According to Dr. Chris Whiteside, consultant in communicable disease control at NPHSW, measles is a highly contagious infectious disease and children who have not been immunized are at risk.

“Most people who catch measles make a full recovery but there is a rare possibility of severe complications including serious eye disorders, deafness, mental difficulties, and even death,” he said. “Parents can easily protect their children by having them immunized with the MMR vaccine. After completing a two-dose course of MMR, 99 percent of children will be protected against measles.”

Measles is very contagious and is generally spread from person to person by coughs and sneezes.

Symptoms include a high temperature, cough and conjunctivitis and a red, blotchy rash that appears about three days later, usually starting on the face and spreading down over the rest of the body.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director, and Nancy Bruening, Executive Editor

Infection control workers administer the measles shot.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Diseases, Measles.
Comments: none

Patients in 15 states have come down with the measles, the biggest outbreak in the U.S. since the 1990s, according to news reports. Cases started emerging in May, when more than 70 people in a dozen states became ill. Most of the victims were not vaccinated against the virus.

The government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak has been traced to travelers who became sick while traveling overseas.

“What concerns me is the trend of more and more people not vaccinating their children because of fears that vaccines cause autism — although no studies have proven this to be true,” Dr. Joseph Rahimian, an infectious disease specialist at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, said.

Therapy with the MMR vaccine — for measles, mumps, and rubella – is the best-known protection you can give your child against this virus, according to the government.

The agency recommends that children should be given their first dose of the MMR vaccine around 12 to 15 months of age. The second dose is recommended before the start of kindergarten, between the ages of 4 to 6.

The National Institutes of Health also recommends all adults 18 years or older born after 1956 should receive an MMR vaccine if they are uncertain of their immunization status or if they have only had one shot prior to entering school.

Measles is caused by a virus that normally grows in cells that line the back of the throat and the lungs.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, MA, Editorial Director

Symptoms of Measles

* Coughing

* Runny nose

* High Fever

* Rash

Source: Centers for Disease Control.

Posted: July 10th, 2008 under Developing Diseases, Diseases, Impaired Immunity, Measles.
Comments: none

Britain is in the midst of a measles epidemic, the country’s public health watchdog says. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) warns that the total number of unvaccinated children was now large enough to sustain the “continuous spread” of the potentially lethal virus throughout the U.K.  HPA blamed a failure by parents to give their children the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

This has resulted in vaccine rates falling below the level necessary to prevent the disease from becoming established in the general population, doctors say.

The report said: “Due to almost 10 years of sub-optimal MMR vaccination coverage across the U.K., the number of children susceptible to measles is now sufficient to support the continuous spread of measles.

Figures released this week show cases of measles in London reached a new peak last month, exceeding last year’s monthly record set in August 2007, and are continuing to rise.

A total of 95 cases of measles confirmed in London and 35 in the rest of England and Wales bringing the total for the year to 461.

Recently, a 17-year-old patient from West Yorkshire died from the disease. In another case, a physician working in a hospital cancer ward contracted measles.

Fifty years ago, a measles epidemic killed 500 children a year in the U.K. Last month’s death was only the second in more than a decade.

The HPA, which published the latest figures in its weekly report, said the rise in measles cases in London was linked to an outbreak at a secondary school which had spread to neighboring schools and nurseries in the capital.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Children are dying of measles once again.

Posted: June 24th, 2008 under Diseases, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Vaccinations.
Comments: none

Six children in the northwest suburbs have contracted measles, the Cook County Department of Public Health said. The government agency is urging parents to have children vaccinated to prevent a recurrence of this unusual outbreak of the disease.

Measles presents with a number of common symptoms, including a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. Additional complications from measles infection can be severe, including ear infections, diarrhea or even pneumonia in 6 to 20 percent of cases. A patient may also suffer encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, or death.

“When parents make the decision to withhold childhood immunizations, it can have devastating effects on the health of their children and the lives of others,” Department of Public Health chief operating officer Stephen Martin said. “Vaccinations are the safest and most effective means to prevent serious illness.”

Measles may be prevented with routine vaccinations, which give lifelong immunity, and by proper infection control

“Measles is a very serious illness and we have seen a surge in cases in unvaccinated persons in our region this year,” Martin said.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Measles causes many symptoms, including rash, high fever, cough, and runny nose.

Posted: June 24th, 2008 under Diseases, Measles, Pneumonia, Vaccinations.
Comments: none

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention received 64 reports of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. from January 1 through April 25, 2008,  the highest number reported for the same time period since 2001. Measles cases have been reported in nine states and outbreaks are ongoing in four states: Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, and New York.

Of the 64 measles cases, 59 occurred among U.S. residents and 54 were associated with importation of measles from other countries. All but one were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. The 64 patients ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years. No deaths have been reported yet.

The measles cases and outbreaks resulted primarily from failure to vaccinate, many because of the personal or religious belief exemption, the CDC report indicated.

Doctors suspect the rise in cases is connected to parents opting out of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine because of fears over a link to autism, which persists, despite a lack of any credible scientific research to back such claims. Experts reckon that two to three percent of American school children are under-vaccinated because their parents are opting out on principle.

Before the MMR vaccine was introduced in the U.S. in 1963, measles was responsible for 48,000 hospitalizations, 400 to 500 deaths with a 1,000 patients left with disabilities. Health authorities fear that unless confidence in the MMR vaccine is restored, the disease could make a devastating comeback.

Measles is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease and the most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses.

The disease is spread by droplets or direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected persons.

Measles can cause serious complications, such as ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and even death.

Measles is still common in other parts of the world and can be imported into the U.S. from many countries, including countries in Europe and worldwide, 20 million cases of measles still occur each year.

The disease is a significant cause of vaccine-preventable death among children. Globally, in 2005, 311,000 children under age five died from the disease.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

A severe case of measles. Source: Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Posted: June 11th, 2008 under Developing Diseases, Diseases, Impaired Immunity, Measles.
Comments: none

The Irish Health Protection Surveillance Center is warning students that they should have the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine following outbreaks of mumps in a number of third-level colleges.

This year, health authorities said, there have been over 150 cases of mumps among Irish students, and five were admitted to hospital.

Seven centers of learning have been affected - the Institutes of Technology in Waterford and Limerick and at Universities in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Maynooth and Dublin City University.

The mumps is a contagious acute viral illness, which until recently has been on the decline.

Complications with the mumps are usually mild but it can cause meningitis and deafness.

In years past there was major concern about the MMR vaccine after a study in 1998 linked it with autism.

That research has only recently being found to be untrue but in the intervening years it led to a major declikne in the number of children availing of the vaccine.

Now around 86 percent of children are getting the vaccine but health experts say 95 percent should be covered in order to prevent against a major outbreak.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Nearly 20 percent of Irish children do not recieve the MMR vaccination. Source: Vaccine Ireland.

Posted: May 29th, 2008 under Diseases, Measles, Mumps, Rubella.
Comments: none

A new report released by the Ministry of Health indicates that there were more than 4.7 million cases of infectious diseases in China last year, up 2.95 percent from 2006. That’s nearly four in every 1,000 people.  The diseases killed 13,037 people, 2,311 more than the previous year.

According to the report, rabies was the “top killer” among the 37 leading diseases, claiming 2,873 lives last year.

Additionally, the report noted:

* Respiratory tract and blood-borne/sexually transmitted diseases rose by 3.55 and 6.96 percent, respectively.

* The number of HIV/AIDS cases reported increased 45 percent year-on-year.

* The number of hepatitis C cases was up 30 percent, and syphilis cases up 24 percent on last year, according to the report.

The report indicates that four human cases of bird flu were reported last year resulting in two deaths. In 2006, there were eight fatalities from 12 cases.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, director of scientific communications

For more information, go to,

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-02/23/content_6478813.htm

AIDS awareness poster — China.

Posted: February 29th, 2008 under Avian Flu, Feature Stories, HIV, Influenza, MRSA, Measles, Pneumonia, Rubella, SARS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Tuberculosis, Whooping Cough.
Comments: none

A pediatric physician’s office may well have been ground zero for a massive measles outbreak in San Diego, according to press reports.

County health officials there say there are 10 confirmed and suspected cases of measles. The first child, who is believed to have been infected in Switzerland, was treated at a doctor’s office and is believed to have spread the infection to six more children there, demonstrating, clearly that infection control procedures, e.g., use of antiseptic wipes, were not zealously followed.

More than 50 children at a local school, and a daycare center have been quarantined because they have had contact with one of these infected children, and they have not been vaccinated for measles.

One 11-month-old child from San Diego was diagnosed in Hawaii after flying there from California. The baby was placed by doctors in isolation at a military hospital in Hawaii.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

A baby boy infected with measles. Source: Health Protection Surveillance Center (Ireland).

Posted: February 13th, 2008 under Feature Stories, Measles.
Comments: none

 Students at the University of Maine are being sent home from school, unless they demonstrate proof of two doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. Mumps is an acute viral infection of the salivary glands. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, swelling and tenderness of the salivary glands at the angle of the jaw. Transmission occurs through coughing and sneezing, making contact with saliva, or touching surfaces that have been contaminated with the mumps virus. Proper use of disinfectants can control spread of the disease.

According to Richard Young, practice manager at Cutler Health Center,  e-mails were sent to all students in November when the “first cases of mumps” were found. Young said a second e-mail was sent on Dec. 28 after the news of the “mumps outbreak.”

At the time of the mumps outbreak, nearly 2,000 students had incomplete records. Flyers were spread across campus stating, “No mumps immunity, no classes, it’s that simple.”

Experts said that if a student doesn’t meet the immunization requirements, there are some exceptions that would allow him or her to still be enrolled in school. These exceptions include a physician’s statement declaring the vaccination is medically inadvisable or if a student or parent states in writing an opposition to the immunization because of a religious belief or for moral, philosophical or other personal reasons, according to local press reports.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2008/01/24/News/Local.Mumps.Outbreak.Spurs.Um.Enforcement-3165153.shtml

 Boy with mumps. Image courtesy of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Posted: February 1st, 2008 under Feature Stories, Infection Protection, Measles, Mumps, Rubella.
Comments: 1

The director of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department for the government of Malta, Charmaine Gauci, says there have been two new outbreaks of infectious diseases, rubella, also known as German measles, and scarlet fever, which are both very rare illnesses in Malta.

The rubella outbreak occurred in Malta, an island nation, and part of Europe, and concerns three people who fell ill after having been in each other’s company. All three, aged between 23 and 28, did not have a history of vaccination against the disease, health officials said.

The World Health Organization advises that:

*  Following any confirmed outbreak of rubella, surveillance should be conducted to identify suspected congenital rubella syndrome cases in infants up to 11 months in age.
* Surveillance should continue until nine months after the end of the outbreak.

The department is enhancing the surveillance of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, according to international press reports. 

On the scarlet fever outbreak, the department, has recommended that children in the same class be excluded from school for the coming seven to 10 days until results of the tests that are to be performed are available, in order to limit the possible spread of the disease.
 

– The Editors

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=63698
 

German measles. Source: World Health Organization.

Posted: January 29th, 2008 under Measles, Rubella.
Comments: none