Outline

As of January 2015, it was reported that at least two dozen people were infected with Measles between

Audience hook: In 2014, the U.S experienced a record number of cases of measles, mostly from the Philippines. Most were unvaccinated and most were from international travel.

According to the Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases textbook aka “The Pink Book” (2015) which was produced jointly by the Communication and Education Branch, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Measles is a paramyxovirus with the primary site of infection in the nasopharynx. It has an incubation period of 10-12 days. The first symptoms to occur are fevers (increasing stepwise 103-105 degrees), cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis approximately 2-3 days after exposure and last 2-4 days. The second part of the infection occurs approximately 14 days after exposure; which is evidence by Koplik spots on the oral mucosa. Then, 1-2 days later, a maculopapular rash develops along the hair line, face,

(Center For Disease Control).Those at greatest risk for contracting the disease are individuals who do not vaccinate or children to young to receive the vaccine. Signs and symptoms of measles include high fevers up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, rash, cough, conjunctivitis and runny nose. Many other complications may evolve once a person is infected with measles some being otitis media and pneumonia. The infected person is contagious roughly about 4 days prior to the rash forming and for about 4-5 days after the rash disappears. Most people that have died from the disease did not die from measles but the complications of measles and secondary illnesses. (The History Of Vaccines).

Facts and figures available to study the epidemiological data for the outbreak of measles include gathering suspected and confirmed cases of this disease from the World Health Organization. This is done by gathering serum samples from all suspected cases to determine if a measles specific immunoglobulin antibody is detected. This particular disease lives in the nose and throat of the infected individual and is considered contagious for a period of four days before the rash appears and for a further four days after the sighting of the rash.

In early April 2013 a measles outbreak was discovered in North Carolina. By mid-May the outbreak had been identified in Stokes and Orange Counties via 23 active cases. Every case was linked back to a family that had spent 3 months in India and had not been vaccinated. By the 16th of April the state laboratory of Public Health was able to confirm the diagnosis, with the last known case being confirmed on May 7th. The investigation of this outbreak revealed 4 patients with a confirmed diagnosis that had received one of vaccination of the two part series. The other 19 cases had not ever been vaccinated.

This outbreak was large and included several states. The outbreak was connected to a California amusement park. Although no source was identified, it is believed that the outbreak most likely started when an international traveler visited the amusement park during the time in which they were infectious. The CDC analyzed the strain of the virus (B3) and concluded the outbreak was the same as the strain that triggered a large outbreak in the Philippines in 2014. That one exposure in the theme park in California brought outbreaks in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The countries of Canada and Mexico also had cases linked to the California theme park outbreak. This is an example of just how contagious and how fast measles can spread. (Zipprich et al., 2015, p. 3)

Over the past few decades vaccinating has become a major American controversy. Especially when it comes to the whether or not the baby and child population should be vaccinated. Many school education systems require certain vaccinations before attending the school. However, there have been various serve cases where there was a negative and life altering effect after children have been given vaccinations. Therefore the question becomes does the benefit of vaccinating out weight the consequences of not vaccinating.

When one is given a vaccine, he or she is being injected with a killed microbe to train his or her immune system to be able to fight it off, in hopes to prevent a future disease. Whether or not to vaccinate one’s child has been a controversy through the years, because some vaccines have had unplanned side effects. These unplanned side effects have caused parents to be skeptical on whether or not to vaccinate their child, despite getting vaccines can possibly prevent a fatal disease. Many questions have risen from this practice of vaccination, in which Dr. William C. Douglass attempts to answer in his article, “How To Win the Vaccine Argument Every Single Time”. Although William C. Douglass provides decent arguments

The first viewpoint this paper will examine is that of those in favor of vaccinating children. Firstly, vaccinations have the ability to protect children from diseases such as Hepatitis B, Measles, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Polio, Influenza, and Tuberculosis, as well as an assortment of others. The driving force behind most pro-vaccine individuals is the protection of their children. When parents choose not to give their children vaccinations, it increases the chance of an outbreak of any of the above mentioned diseases. Without the implementation of vaccines, many of these easily-preventable diseases become possible epidemics."Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals" (Vaccines). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, works alongside public and private

Because of advancements in medicine, vaccinations are becoming a widespread medium in the prevention of disease. They have provided the eradication and immunity to many deadly diseases such as smallpox, polio and rubella. Although there is no law that mandates the vaccination of children, they are necessary to prevent the infliction of disease and harm. By making the decision to vaccinate their children, a parent has the potential to save their lives.

Vaccination can save your child. The medical world is more advance then it has ever been before. The advancements in medicine have been able to save many children’s lives again harmful diseases that once killed thousands. Vaccines have killed off many diseases and a lot are on the brink of extinction. Vaccination protects your child from more diseases than ever before. Polio was once an epidemic in the united states that killed millions. Thankfully to vaccination polio is very rare and has not been reported in the states recently. Vaccinations help your child’s immune system interact with the substance that is in the shot and kill it off so that they are immune. The vaccine will not harm your child. Yes, there can be allergic reactions but that is better than death from your body not being prepared to attack the viruses.

Measles is a highly contagious disease, and it is an uncomfortable illness. It may be a short period of time to be affected, but some things can be permanent if left uncared for. There are many key characteristics of the illness, and the way it gets into the body is very simple, and works well.

Furthermore, there are beneficial reasons for embracing vaccinations for one’s children. Children are especially vulnerable to disease because their immune systems have not yet developed, and getting a serious illness can have

Numerous diseases that used to be widespread in the U.S. are now nearly eliminated. “An epidemic of rubella in 1964-65 infected 12½ million Americans, killed 2,000 babies, and caused 11,000 miscarriages. In 2012, 9 cases of rubella were reported to CDC.” (What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations?) Another disease that prevailed before its vaccine was polio, as you can see in this graph. The red line shows when the polio vaccine was introduced. In 2014, CNN reported that “Just five years ago, India was home to nearly half the global polio cases and considered one of the most technically difficult places to eradicate the disease, because of sanitation challenges and high-density population. India has been certified polio-free by the World Health Organization after going three years without an endemic case of polio. The eradication of polio in India is heralded as one of the biggest achievements in global health efforts.” (Madison Park) However, this isn’t the only success story, these are the percent decreases of before and after certain vaccines were introduced in the U.S. Here, diphtheria has a 100 percent decrease in the U.S after its vaccine was introduced. From 21,000 cases of diphtheria, there are now ZERO endemic cases in the U.S. What about measles? Before its vaccine, there were roughly 530,000 cases each year in