in this term of disease, we discussed the spread of disease and certain topics around them. we discussed the r naught of a disease, which means if one person, an r naught of people will get it from that person. we were assigned disease and did a research paper on it, and here is what I came up with.
In Vancouver, WA, a large outbreak of measles occurred within the population of unvaccinated kids under 5 years of age. The outbreak happened due to low vaccination rates within the county, which caused low general immunity to measles.
The most at-risk population for measles is children under five years old, currently, it only kills 1-2 of 100,000 people who get infected.
For those who are infected with measles, some symptoms might include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Symptoms usually begin to appear 10-14 days after the virus enters the host's system.
The measles disease is spread by the infected either sneezing or coughing and someone inhaling or somehow ingesting it. Washing hands will stop spreading, and sanitizing common-use spaces will also help. Keeping your children from getting measles is not too difficult, just make sure they are staying clean. If someone you know has or had measles within the 14 days, don't have close contact, and if someone tests positive for measles after close contact, search for treatment and monitor for symptoms, to limit the possibility for spreading.
in this term of disease, we went over the disease
The best way for you to avoid getting measles is by being cautious of where your kid is going and making sure they keep good hygiene. Monitor symptoms and make sure all precautions are taken in the evening event of an outbreak.
One easy way to lower your chances of getting measles is to get vaccinated for it! This gives you antibodies and gives your immune system a boost for getting rid of it before your system is reduced to atoms. Another easy way to avoid measles is to wash your hands! After going out somewhere public, or using the bathroom, wash your hands thoroughly, to make sure nothing unwanted is hanging on.
The incubation period of measles is 10-12 days after exposure. It will take about two weeks to recover from measles. However, if left untreated the disease will get quite awful.
The outbreak in Washington state caused 55 children under 10 to get infected due to poor vaccination rates. One way this could have been avoided was to get vaccinated and keep washing hands. Another would have been to be more cautious around those times of the year.
Measles has an Rø of 16-18, meaning one person would spread it to 16-18 people after exposure to them, which is not good. It is extremely contagious and spreads like fire in a lumber yard. Social distancing and quarantining is the most effective way to prevent further exposure and outbreaks. A high vaccination rate would also solve this problem. Less infected and higher immunity rates would decrease the infection rate.
My suggestion for the mayor of Vancouver; mandate vaccines, make it so that there is limited access to certain things if you don't have a set standard of vaccination level. Also, limit occupancy of certain buildings based on vaccination status.
Sources:
CDC, the. (2020, November 5). Vaccine for measles (MMR shot). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html
