Posted on 04/11/2008 5:51:43 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(4 cases confirmed in the Milwaukee area this week)
With a fourth case of measles confirmed on Thursday, Milwaukee is on the verge of a widespread outbreak of the disease, public health officials said.
"There has been massive exposure," said Paul Biedrzycki, the director of disease control and environmental health for the Milwaukee Health Department.
Two more cases were confirmed Thursday.
A measles outbreak in Milwaukee in 1989-'90 affected 1,011 people and killed three children.
The cases confirmed on Thursday involve boys, ages 5 months and 1 year.
They attended the same day care as a 23-month-old girl, whose case was confirmed on Monday. The girl attended day care in Greenfield and Greendale and was hospitalized at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin from March 31 to April 7.
Twelve children who attended the Kingdom Care Daycare, connected to the West Layton Assembly of God Church in Greenfield, are being quarantined at their homes until April 18 to make sure they don't have the disease.
On Wednesday, health officials said an adult, later identified as a 37-year-old male, had contracted the disease.
The department has orders for isolation and quarantine ready to go and they can be issued if the need arrives, Biedrzycki said.
Health officials are exploring the possibility of increasing hours for walk-in vaccination clinics, as well as opening Saturday clinics, he said.
Parents who suspect that their child has measles should call their doctor. Do not take the child to the doctor's office or the hospital without calling first, as the disease is highly contagious, said Geoffrey Swain, medical director for the Milwaukee Health Department.
Health officials have been bracing all week for a massive outbreak.
"An outbreak is anticipated, because of the way people live, work and play," Biedrzycki said.
Immunizations on the rise
Children should be vaccinated at a year old, with a booster shot given around the time the child starts kindergarten.
Immunization rates are rising nationally. An estimated 92% of children 19 months to 35 months have been vaccinated. Still, there are some parents who do not vaccinate their children, fearing that the vaccines may cause autism. Such fears are not grounded in science, Swain said.
Even people who have been vaccinated should be on notice because a vaccine's ability to protect can fail over time, doctors say.
Other cases of measles have appeared in the United States in the past few weeks - in Arizona, California and New York.
The virus that causes measles spreads easily and rapidly through the air from coughing and sneezing. Symptoms include cold-like symptoms, followed by a red, blotchy rash that first appears at the hairline and then proceeds down the trunk to the arms and legs.
Although rare because of immunizations, measles outbreaks can occur. It takes an average of 10 to 12 days from exposure to the first symptom, which is usually fever. The measles rash doesn't usually appear until about 14 days after exposure, and two to three days after the fever begins.
Measles can be a serious disease, with 20% of reported cases experiencing one or more complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease can cause encephalitis in one out of every 1,000 cases. Death from measles occurs in approximately two per 1,000 reported cases in the U.S. Complications from measles are more common among children younger than 5 and adults older than 20.
Measles can be transmitted from four days before the rash becomes visible to four days after the rash appears. Vaccination important
Before the measles vaccine was licensed in 1963, there were an estimated 3 million to 4 million cases each year. After 1963, the number of measles cases dropped dramatically, with only 1,497 cases in 1983, the lowest annual total reported up to that time, according to the CDC.
A measles epidemic occurred in the U.S. from large outbreaks in many cities from 1989 to 1991. During that time, 55,622 cases were reported with 123 measles-associated deaths. Half of the cases and deaths were in children younger than 5. The most important cause of this epidemic was low vaccination rates among preschool-age children.
Because of extensive vaccination efforts, the number of reported measles cases fell during the 1990s. Only 37 cases were reported in 2004. It appears that measles transmission in the U.S. has been interrupted. However, measles is still common in many other countries in the world and can easily be imported, so continued vaccination against the disease is still important, the CDC's Web site warns.
Worthy of a “Mom” Ping?
In the ‘50’s, when my little sister got the measles, I got shut in the same room with her until I caught them. SOP back then! Then she got the mumps. Same deal. Shut me in the room with her. I didn’t catch the mumps. Gotz to be careful!
My pediatrician, here in Los Angeles, told me — ‘No need to vaccinate, if you wish. Just don’t go to KMart, Home Depot, Kids R Us, Chucky Cheese. All sorts of things are coming in with immigrants.’
Same thing with me. My parents wanted to make sure that I had both the mumps and the measles while I was a kid. I got both from my older brother by the time I was six.
bttt
It’s not just the immigrants. Plenty of Americans are now refusing to have children immunized. Heck, you can go to web sites that coach you on how to claim religious exemption — even if you don’t actually have a religious objection.
Got the chicken pox when I was 26 from the child of a co-worker and thought that I would die before recovering.
So what!
When I went to school anyone that didn’t get the measles wasn’t normal.
The only drawback was being quarntened for 2 weeks.
I had measles in the 40s and was very ill for about a week. One thing that I recall is that my Mother darkened the room. I thought that was foolish until I learned that measles, left unattended, can cause blindness. Nothing to mess with. I’d go for the vaccine.
I had the measles when I was about 8 or so, too. And then got the Chicken Pox right after. Grrrrr! I was sick for weeks on end. No fun for anyone in the family.
My three boys had all their shots and never had any of the old-fashioned diseases we all used to have. One had his tonsils out, one ended up with encephylitis (sp?) from a mosquito bite (that was terrifying) and a few bouts of the flu while they were growing up. Otherwise, just minor bone breaks; usually caused by one another or whatever stupidity they were up to that day, LOL!
All in all, we were pretty lucky, but Good, Clean Country Livin’ helps, away from all those disease-spreading City Folk. ;)
I never got the mumps either, even though my 3 brothers did.
There isn’t even the vaguest indication in this article there’s the remotest connection to illegal immigration.
Replace measles with TB. Thanks dirty Mexicans.
Shhhh! We shall never speak of that FACT in print in a newspaper in a Sanctuary City. ;)
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