With the summer season (and the first week of fall) officially behind us, attention quickly turns to falling leaves, earlier sunsets and brisker weather.
The cooler months also usher in the annual swarm of winter bugs, ones not likely to be foiled by insect repellent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that “an average of 36,000 people will die of flu this year in the U.S. alone,” with a potential for more to succumb among those most susceptible as antiviral drug-resistant strains of the virus begin to emerge.
Winslow Indian Health Care Center (WIHCC) this month is alerting community residents to an equally infectious, but less notorious virus, measles, the symptoms of which can mimic influenza and could prove fatal if not treated promptly.
In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated that 158,000 deaths were caused by measles, down from 630,000 deaths in 1990. As of 2013, measles remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in the world.
WIHCC ambulatory clinic nurse Greg Jones, RN, noted, “We do the best we can here to control outbreaks, because we keep our patients up to date on vaccinations. What we have is called an MMR vaccine, which protects our patients from measles, mumps and rubella. We also make sure that every patient is educated on what they’re receiving, so not only do we promote health awareness in our community, but also encourage them to promote awareness amongst themselves.
“One of the biggest things we focus on is making sure persons are vaccinated against a number of diseases; we have dispensed about 2,000 influenza vaccinations so far. A majority of the community population trust us, and we’re seeing favorable outcomes from our efforts.”
The CDC reports that the United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2014, with 668 cases from 27 states reported to CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000, the agency reports.
Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 18, 2015, 189 measles cases were reported to the CDC in 24 U.S. states, including Arizona.
According to the same report, this year the United States experienced a large, multi-state measles outbreak linked to an amusement park in Anaheim, Calif. The outbreak likely started from a traveler who became infected overseas with measles, then visited the amusement park while infectious; however, no source was identified. Analysis by CDC scientists showed that the measles virus type in this outbreak (B3) was identical to the virus type that caused a large measles outbreak in the Philippines in 2014.
The agency says measles can spread when it reaches a community in the U.S. where groups of people are unvaccinated.
WIHCC indicates the following signs and symptoms of the measles virus:
* Fever, generally over 100.5 degrees.
* Runny nose.
* Cough.
* Skin rash.
Measles is an airborne disease which spreads easily through the coughs and sneezes of those infected. It may also be spread through contact with saliva or nasal secretions. A person is infectious to others from four days before to four days after the start of the rash.
WIHCC encourages parents to review their child’s immunization records to make sure they are up to date with all vaccines, especially measles, and to isolate anyone who is suspected to have measles or displays measles symptoms.
