Dr. Wood: Get the facts about measles, then be sure you’re immunized

Thurston County readers might have heard of the a recent measles outbreak in Clark County, and that cases have now popped up in states as far away as Georgia. While, as of the date this column was written, no cases have been reported in Thurston County, measles is highly contagious. It’s a good time for our community to learn more about measles, and even more importantly, for people to ensure they are up to date on their immunizations.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that usually lasts from seven to 10 days. It can be spread through contact, but also remains in the air for several hours after an infected person has left the room. According to the Washington state Department of Health, people who are exposed to measles and have not had the vaccine or the disease itself are very likely to get measles.

The symptoms of measles begin with a high fever — up to 104 degrees, and include:

• Coughing
• Runny nose
• Red and watery eyes
• A rash, usually starting on the face, but which can spread to the entire body

Common complications of measles are ear infections and diarrhea. Children younger than 5 and adults older than 20 are more likely to suffer from complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some people might “suffer from severe complications, such as pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). They may need to be hospitalized and could die.”

• As many as 1 of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
• About 1 child out of every 1,000 who gets measles will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain), which can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.
• For every 1,000 children who get measles, it will kill one or two.
• Measles may cause pregnant woman to give birth prematurely or have a low-birth-weight baby.

The best protection against the disease is to get the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. The vaccine is effective against measles. In fact, according to the CDC, just one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93 percent effective against measles. The recommended two doses bring that immunity up to 97 percent.

Before the United Stsates offered a measles vaccination program, starting in 1963, the CDC shares that an estimated 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the United States. Of these, 500,000 cases were reported each year to CDC; of these, 400 to 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 developed encephalitis (brain swelling) from measles.

Since then, widespread use of measles vaccine has led to a higher than 99 percent reduction in measles cases compared with the pre-vaccine era.

If you haven’t had the measles and are unsure whether you have been vaccinated, talk with your health care provider. To find where vaccines are available, go to vaccinefinder.org. For more information about measles, go to bit.ly/2mC58w3.

This story was originally published February 1, 2019 at 7:00 AM.