Twenty -five years ago, the United States canceled measles virus. The measles are very infectious, and it is expected to be separate cases and the outbreak.
But as of February 28, 146 people in Texas Most of them are immune children – have measles. Twenty were transferred to the hospital, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Health in Texas. “A child of school age” has not been vaccinated He died this weekAccording to February 26 statement – the first death of measles in the United States since 2015.
Nine other cases A neighboring boycott in New Mexico has been reported, state health officials say.
Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatrician in New York City and author of the book, says, “Reinforcing Book Football Clothes: Urgent lessons from measles and the future of children’s health in New York City and author of the Books Protection Clots: Urgent lessons from measles and the future for children’s health:” This is a great size. “ The Center for Disease Control defines the outbreak as three or more cases of relevant cases; Last year, a total of 285 cases were reported across 31 states and Washington, DC.
Here is everything to know about measles with the spread of the virus.
What is the modern history of the group in the United States?
Another measles outbreak in the main United States in 2019, Matthew Nearly 1,300 people were virus. According to the Center for Disease Control, this almost costs the United States. (The measles are calculated when it does not spread in an area for 12 months or more, respectively.)
Dr. Peter Hotles, Dean of the National School of Equatorial Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, says that the latest number of cases “is still the top of the mountain of ice” and is going on the right path to reach or bypass the previous fascism numbers.
This is largely due to the decreases in vaccination rates in the United States and the world that contributed to a Four times a height of measles outbreak From 2023 to 2024 alone. “I think we are still on this path,” says Hotz. “I imagine that 2025 will be a very difficult year for the group.”
What is measles, and who usually gets it?
Measles are the breathing virus that often affects children, but it can also affect Robert BedenarkikEpidemist and Associate World Health Professor at Emory University in Georgia.
Measles are often assembled with German mumps and measles because there is one vaccine, known as MmrThis protects from the three diseases. But each of them is caused by various respiratory viruses.
How does measles spread?
Measles virus live in the nose and mucus throat for injured people. When they are counted, given or breathe Up to two hours. “You don’t even have to contact directly or closely with an infected individual,” says Hotz. That is why measles is one of the most infectious viruses that we know.
According to the Center for Disease Control, if one person has measles, Up to 90 % of people Those who are not immune and breathe polluted air or touch the affected surface will get sick. Unlike other respiratory errors, it is also It is not seasonal.
A person with measles infectious for about eight days, including the four days before the appearance of a rash, and the four that followed. Ratner says this is a problem, because it means that you can spread the virus without knowing it.
How do I know if I have measles and what are the symptoms?
You may not know that you have measles immediately because the symptoms usually appear from one to two weeks after exposure. Almost at that time, you can develop cough, runny nose, red and water eyes, and high fever, according to the Center for Disease Control. At this point, you may assume that you have influenza, but in two to three days, you may find small white spots inside your mouth, says Bednarczyck, which is a “clear gift” of the group.
After three to five days, you can develop Classic rash: Red spots on the face abandoned my hair, then spread to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, as the center of control over diseases says. The darkest your skin, the more likely to see high bumps in the same areas without changing their color. Although it seems painful, the rash is usually not itching.
In general, you may feel sick About a weekThe World Health Organization says, and the rash may take from five to six days to fade. Ratner says, if you suspect that you or your child are suffering from measles, call your doctor’s office or hospital before you arrive, so that they can reduce your exposure to others in the waiting room.
Do most people recover from measles?
Most people hunt measles recovery With no dire consequences, experts say. But complications can affect a relatively large number of people who get the virus; Some are very serious.
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Ear infections, for example, occur around One in 10 children With measles, according to the Center for Disease Control. Up to one out of 20 will get pneumonia, which is the most common cause of measles -related death in young children. About one in every 1000 children will develop brain swelling called brain inflammation, which can cause deafness, cramps or mental disability. Data shows that about one to three in every 1,000 children suffer from measles will die of these complications.
A fatal central nervous disease called subcutaneous subjugation can occur for a very few people after about seven to 10 years of recovering from measles; The risk is higher for those who get measles before the age of two.
The Disease Control Center says that non -fortified people, children under the age of five, adults over the age of 20, and people with weak immune system, and pregnant people face the largest risk of measles complications. However, it is important to remember that anyone, regardless of his health, can seriously get sick and die from measles, says Ratner – especially given that there is There are no treatments for the virus. Ratner says, some of the people who were transferred to the hospital may receive vitamin A, which may reduce the risk of bad results, but it is not a treatment.
How to prevent measles?
Because the measles are mobile, the face masks can help protect against infection, as experts say. But vaccination is the best way to a large extent. Before the vaccination program in the United States began in 1963, about 3 to 4 million people were caught in the virus, 48,000 were transferred to the hospital, 1,000 advanced encephalitis, and died from 400 to 500 every year in the United States, according to the United States CDC data.
There are two doses. The first, which is between the ages of 12 and 15 months, is about 93 % effective, and the second, which children get between the ages of four and six, about 97 %. This means almost Three out of 100 people Those who are fully immunized still get measles after exposure to the virus, says the Center for Disease Control.
However, the vaccine can reduce the possibilities of severe disease and the possibility of spreading it to others, says Ratner, including those who cannot get vaccination because they are very young or weakened immune devices. Research indicates that the virus Reduces the antibodies you gained Bednarczyck says, for other germs, which leaves you vulnerable to all types of infections, especially if you are not vaccinated.
The measles snapshot is safe, according to decades of research. A single, reputable, 1998 study of 12 children suggested a link between MMR and autism; He was later deported to “Scientific fraudSeveral papers since then This association has proven wrong.
If you are subjected to the stiffness and not only in vaccinated or received one dose, you can get a measles vaccine within 72 hours of exposure, says Ratner, which may prevent infection or reduce the opportunities you really get. Children can be very young for vaccination, and people who are considered a high risk for a severe disease can get The treatment of antibodies is called immunoglobulin Within six days of exposure across the fourth or a shot in their arm.
It is believed that the measles infection and vaccination are believed to provide for lifelong immunity – that is, you cannot get measles twice. Ratner says, but if you are not immune and injured, you should revolve around your possession anyway to protect against German mumps and measles.
The MMR has a weak version of the measles virus, causing harmless infection to help people develop immunity. So some people The vaccine should not be obtainedThe Center for Disease Control, including those pregnant, suffers from weakening of the immune system due to disease or treatment, or have a parent or brotherhood with a history of the immune system problems.
Should I be concerned about measles in the United States?
If you have been vaccinated, you don’t have a lot to worry. But in general, the Center for Disease Control says A source of concern for the United States. Less than children around the world get their measles shots, and partially nourish them through Covid’s anti -eraser speech. This means that infections may become more common because unseminal travelers spread the virus. “Our control over measles is really a testimony to the vaccine and our ability to use it, but we will likely sit on the edge of the place where we may start seeing a more widespread outbreak,” says Bednarczyck.
From the academic year 2019-20 to 2023-24, the vaccines are among the kindergarten of the United States It decreased from 95 % to slightly less than 93 %. Ratner says, it is worrying, because we need to cover at least 95 % vaccination to achieve the herd immunity, when it is sufficient for people immune from measles to prevent a great spread. Inside individual cases, rates can be lower; IdahoFor example, it has a 80 % vaccination rate.
