Measles Outbreak in the US

[Thor]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,379388,00.html

Measles Outbreak Spreads to 15 States, Largest in 10 Years

Thursday, July 10, 2008


A measles outbreak has sickened more than 120 people in 15 states – making it the biggest outbreak in the U.S. in more than 10 years, Reuters is reporting.

According to federal health officials, most of the victims were not vaccinated against the highly contagious virus.

In a statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak has been traced to travelers who became sick overseas, returned to the U.S. and infected others.

The news comes on the heels of public health officials stressing the importance of immunizing children.

"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, told FOXNews.com in May.

Last month, British health officials said measles had again become an epidemic in that country for the first time since the mid-1990s due to parents not getting their kids vaccinated.

"The primary reason for lack of vaccination is personal belief exemptions," the CDC's Dr. Larry Pickering told a news conference.

"Until better global control is achieved, cases will continue to be imported into the United States and outbreaks will persist as long as there are communities of unvaccinated people," Pickering said.

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

"It’s actually one of the most communicable infectious diseases in the world," Rahimian said.

Typical symptoms include:

— Coughing

— Runny nose

— High Fever

— Rash (which usually starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body)

About 1 in 5 measles sufferers experiences more severe illness, which can include diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis, chronic neurological deficits and even death.

The virus also remains a leading cause of death among children in poor countries, killing about 250,000 people a year globally.

Details of the outbreak first surfaced in May when more than 70 people came down with the virus in nearly a dozen states.

States with cases now include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington state, as well as Washington, D.C., according to the CDC.

This latest outbreak comes eight years after the virus was declared practically dead in the U.S., thanks to a vaccination program that began in the 1960s.

With the trend against immunizations, the influx of immigrants (legal AND illegal) that haven't been innoculated, it's no wonder some conquered diseases are coming back.

[DixieBelle]

I've been exposed as recently as March. I got a call from the county public health nurse telling me that someone with a confirmed case of Measles was in the grocery store the same day I was according to their records. I had to scratch my head for a minute...they apparently traced every business this family went into (I found out on my own it was a family from India with a sick child) and they called every customer. They had my phone number because I used my customer loyalty card when I checked out. Da Man found me

Anyway, I was fine and it's possible we never even crossed paths. But yes, this is going to cause major problems for everyone.

[Lord Undies]

I had measles twice.  I lived.

I am more concerned about how routine smallpox vaccinations were discontinued several years ago.  I think that will turn out one day to be a big mistake.

[Wretched Excess]

I've been exposed as recently as March. I got a call from the county public health nurse telling me that someone with a confirmed case of Measles was in the grocery store the same day I was according to their records. I had to scratch my head for a minute...they apparently traced every business this family went into (I found out on my own it was a family from India with a sick child) and they called every customer. They had my phone number because I used my customer loyalty card when I checked out. Da Man found me

Anyway, I was fine and it's possible we never even crossed paths. But yes, this is going to cause major problems for everyone.

wow.  that's some serious customer service.

[Thor]

I had measles twice.  I lived.

I am more concerned about how routine smallpox vaccinations were discontinued several years ago.  I think that will turn out one day to be a big mistake.

There are several communicable diseases making a comeback. Polio, Smallpox, TB, Measles, the Plague, etc. Primarily it is caused for a couple of reasons, 1) a lack of immunizations because we THOUGHT it was gone; and 2) the influx of unvaccinated immigrants that carry these diseases. Kind of like what Cortez did to the Aztecs. My concern is; are these old diseases going to be more resistant to current meds available ?? Have they mutated and can they cause more damage??

[debk]

If you are an adult, you usually can't get the vaccine unless you have already been exposed.

I haven't had chicken pox, mumps or rubella (3day measles).  I've had 2 vaccines for rubella, and still didn't show any antibodies in my blood, and I've had 2 smallpox vaccines (the 2nd was a doozy! ) and I still don't have a scar.

I'm sure there are others out there like me.....from what I have been told....if older adults ( not one word Thor! ) get these childhood diseases....they can be really serious.

None have been totally eradicated. Even smallpox has made a reappearance, I believe.

[Flame]

I had measles twice.  I lived.

I am more concerned about how routine smallpox vaccinations were discontinued several years ago.  I think that will turn out one day to be a big mistake.

There are several communicable diseases making a comeback. Polio, Smallpox, TB, Measles, the Plague, etc. Primarily it is caused for a couple of reasons, 1) a lack of immunizations because we THOUGHT it was gone; and 2) the influx of unvaccinated immigrants that carry these diseases. Kind of like what Cortez did to the Aztecs. My concern is; are these old diseases going to be more resistant to current meds available ?? Have they mutated and can they cause more damage??

I'd have to say that people CHOOSING to not vacinate is a big reason, too.  I know of a bunch of families who don't immunize thier children, due to fears of Autism (it is a theory that autism can be triggered by certain vacines), etc.

[DixieBelle]

I've been exposed as recently as March. I got a call from the county public health nurse telling me that someone with a confirmed case of Measles was in the grocery store the same day I was according to their records. I had to scratch my head for a minute...they apparently traced every business this family went into (I found out on my own it was a family from India with a sick child) and they called every customer. They had my phone number because I used my customer loyalty card when I checked out. Da Man found me

Anyway, I was fine and it's possible we never even crossed paths. But yes, this is going to cause major problems for everyone.

wow.  that's some serious customer service.

I know! Scared me at first because they called my cell phone. I thought it was a prank. "Hello, this is Nurse _____ from the County Health Dept..." Eek!!!

Last night they covered this story on the local news and showed my grocery store. Apparently I was one of the lucky ones *eyeroll* who got exposed to one of the 127 confirmed measles patients in the U.S. this year. Oy!

[Willow]

I had measles twice.  I lived.

I am more concerned about how routine smallpox vaccinations were discontinued several years ago.  I think that will turn out one day to be a big mistake.

I agree with you, someday there will be a huge smallpox outbreak.

[john c calhoun]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,379388,00.html

Measles Outbreak Spreads to 15 States, Largest in 10 Years

Thursday, July 10, 2008


A measles outbreak has sickened more than 120 people in 15 states – making it the biggest outbreak in the U.S. in more than 10 years, Reuters is reporting.

According to federal health officials, most of the victims were not vaccinated against the highly contagious virus.

In a statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak has been traced to travelers who became sick overseas, returned to the U.S. and infected others.

The news comes on the heels of public health officials stressing the importance of immunizing children.

"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, told FOXNews.com in May.

Last month, British health officials said measles had again become an epidemic in that country for the first time since the mid-1990s due to parents not getting their kids vaccinated.

"The primary reason for lack of vaccination is personal belief exemptions," the CDC's Dr. Larry Pickering told a news conference.

"Until better global control is achieved, cases will continue to be imported into the United States and outbreaks will persist as long as there are communities of unvaccinated people," Pickering said.

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

"It’s actually one of the most communicable infectious diseases in the world," Rahimian said.

Typical symptoms include:

— Coughing

— Runny nose

— High Fever

— Rash (which usually starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body)

About 1 in 5 measles sufferers experiences more severe illness, which can include diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis, chronic neurological deficits and even death.

The virus also remains a leading cause of death among children in poor countries, killing about 250,000 people a year globally.

Details of the outbreak first surfaced in May when more than 70 people came down with the virus in nearly a dozen states.

States with cases now include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington state, as well as Washington, D.C., according to the CDC.

This latest outbreak comes eight years after the virus was declared practically dead in the U.S., thanks to a vaccination program that began in the 1960s.

With the trend against immunizations, the influx of immigrants (legal AND illegal) that haven't been innoculated, it's no wonder some conquered diseases are coming back.

thats because 'they' really didn't conquer them...

and its basically the immigrants that make up the majority of these REPORTED cases of measles you are referring to here...

measles is only deadly for the malnourished ....its not really gonna be too harmful to healthy people...

and I'll take my chances w/ measles over MS, leukemia, cancers, ALS , Parkinsons & all the other wonderful problems 'immunizations' have helped fester...

[franksolich]

thats because 'they' really didn't conquer them...

and its basically the immigrants that make up the majority of these REPORTED cases of measles you are referring to here...

measles is only deadly for the malnourished ....its not really gonna be too harmful to healthy people...

and I'll take my chances w/ measles over MS, leukemia, cancers, ALS , Parkinsons & all the other wonderful problems 'immunizations' have helped fester...

Hi, John C., sir.

I agree with you; there's plenty of evidence, it appears, that pharmaceuticals can cause crippling diseases.

I respectfully refer you to Cured to Death: The Effects of Prescription Drugs (Arabella Melville and Colin Johnson, 1982, Stein & Day).  Of course it's dated, being 26 years in print, but we all know it's worse today, and the situation as described then, was scary enough.

And as for something else, I myself think smallpox was never eradicated.  The smallpox virus is a very tiny, microscopic, virus, and the world is very large.  So how do we know there aren't some hiding somewhere?

Iin the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants with free medical care for all, as recently as 10 years ago, whole areas would be blocked off from entry by outsiders because of an outbreak of.....the bubonic plague, the Black Death.

It should be no wonder one must scoff at the nocturnally foul one, with his allegations that man can destroy the eart--er, planet.  Nature always gets even, and then some.

[Lord Undies]

I had measles twice.  I lived.

I am more concerned about how routine smallpox vaccinations were discontinued several years ago.  I think that will turn out one day to be a big mistake.

I agree with you, someday there will be a huge smallpox outbreak.

Smallpox will be back.  There will be a rush to vaccinate and a panick over the lack of vaccine.  Some things are very predictable.  

The best defense against measles is to have the disease as a child.  My mother was relieved when my little brother came down with measles.  She made sure I caught it from him.  When it was over, and it was no big deal, we never thought about it again.  

[Thor]

When I speak of "eradicated" or "conquered", I mean here in the US. I can't tell you just how many vaccinations I received while I was USN. Plague, Yellow Fever, all sorts of immunizations!!!  It was almost an annual thing. The larger problem is two fold, other countries NOT doing these vaccinations and having these diseases and, the rejection of vaccinations here in the US. Sure, I would like to see a cure for some of the more horrible diseases.

The only link I've found to autism in the vaccinations is the component, merthiol. If that was a problem, I think that most of us that are 40-70 age range would have experienced problems, as merthiolate was commonly used as an antiseptic. Lord KNOWS that I've had plenty of that on my skin/ in my wounds!!! (Of course, it wasn't injected).

And, modern medicines ARE giving us some problems. Just the other day, I learned that Cipro causes tendon and ligament problems. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Germs/story?id=5356479&page=1

[Miss Mia]

I had measles twice.  I lived.

I am more concerned about how routine smallpox vaccinations were discontinued several years ago.  I think that will turn out one day to be a big mistake.

There are several communicable diseases making a comeback. Polio, Smallpox, TB, Measles, the Plague, etc. Primarily it is caused for a couple of reasons, 1) a lack of immunizations because we THOUGHT it was gone; and 2) the influx of unvaccinated immigrants that carry these diseases. Kind of like what Cortez did to the Aztecs. My concern is; are these old diseases going to be more resistant to current meds available ?? Have they mutated and can they cause more damage??

I'd have to say that people CHOOSING to not vacinate is a big reason, too.  I know of a bunch of families who don't immunize thier children, due to fears of Autism (it is a theory that autism can be triggered by certain vacines), etc.

I've seen those long flame wars on DU over vaccinations. 

[mamacags]

The only vaccine I hate is the chicken pox vaccine.  The kids can still get chicken pox with the vaccine and it may not cover them as adults.  It is pretty much worthless.

[docstew]

When I speak of "eradicated" or "conquered", I mean here in the US. I can't tell you just how many vaccinations I received while I was USN. Plague, Yellow Fever, all sorts of immunizations!!!  It was almost an annual thing. The larger problem is two fold, other countries NOT doing these vaccinations and having these diseases and, the rejection of vaccinations here in the US. Sure, I would like to see a cure for some of the more horrible diseases.

The only link I've found to autism in the vaccinations is the component, merthiol. If that was a problem, I think that most of us that are 40-70 age range would have experienced problems, as merthiolate was commonly used as an antiseptic. Lord KNOWS that I've had plenty of that on my skin/ in my wounds!!! (Of course, it wasn't injected).

And, modern medicines ARE giving us some problems. Just the other day, I learned that Cipro causes tendon and ligament problems. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Germs/story?id=5356479&page=1

i can't tell you how many specific different immunizations are given to soldiers, but it's a lot... within the past 2 months i've given shots for smallpox, anthrax, hep a/b, typhoid, and tuberculin skin test.  the army administers a computer system to track it for all soldiers.

there is a group that was founded here in north carolina pushing to remove the merthiol (or was it mercury?) from vaccines for the autism thing.  they recently had a big march on DC for it.  jim carrey and jenny mccarthy are members cuz her son is autistic.

cipro isn't the only med that causes those problems... i know some providers who refuse to write for tequin because of the high incidence of achilles tendon ruptures.

[DixieBelle]

The thermasal in vaccines thought to be linked to autsim was removed a few years ago.

[Thor]

Doc, actually, since I've been on both Cipro and moxifloxacin recently, I've read that it's MOST of the "...floxacin" antibiotics that are causing these problems. I'm trying to figure out why I sprained my ankle real bad during a hunting season in 97 or 98. It still hasn't healed and I had been given Cipro prior to that. I guess I'm going to have to pull some medical records from Minnesota to see what's what and if it ties into the Cipro thing.

[Bluesuiter-Retired]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKN0943743120080710

Take note which states have had an oubreak.

Now where are the greatest population of ILLEGALS.  Is their a coincidence?