ࡱ>  ܥhW ejjjjjjj  .1    -8$_X@.j .jjjj ~"jjjj + What is Measles? Measles is basically an acute, highly contagious virus disease, that usually occurs in childhood and is characterized by the eruption of red spots. It is not to be confused with German Measles, or rubella, which is a different virus altogether. It is also not the same as black measles, which is a more severe form of measles that causes a dark rash. Measles may also be known as rubeola. Some of the symptoms are: fever, runny nose and common cold symptoms, cough, red eyes, red or white spots on the gums, and a red rash that usually starts at the head and slowly works its way all over the body. The symptoms and rash normally fade after a few days, however, complications and secondary infections may prolong the illness. An example of these complications are: ear and chest infections, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. One of the more unfortunate cases of measles, aproximently one in 1000, is Encephalitis or inflammation of the brain which causes death. Another progressive brain disorder due to measles is subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which occurs in one out of every million cases. There is new evidence that proves that when pregnant women get measles, either the baby has birth-defects, or in one of every 20 cases, the fetus dies. How it Spreads Measles spread very easily. This highly contagious virus is spread by inhalation of airborne droplets of infected nasal discharge, or any contact with the nose or throat. The virus does not take effect until three to four days later, and can last anywhere from 12 to 16 days. It is more common to be picked up from children, preferably ten through 14, however, toddlers and full grown adults are also able to receive the virus, except they are less susceptible. Cures and Immunization Fortunately, ever since 1963, there has been a vaccine for the measles. Long ago, it was one of the most common child-hood diseases, but it has become much less frequent thanks to this vaccine. Although there is no specific treatment for measles, it is a good idea to keep patients isolated from other susceptible individuals, allow them to get lots of bed rest, an appropriate dose of Aspirin, cough syrup, and special lotions for fever and itching. It is a good thing to try to treat the measles, because it makes the patient more susceptible to other, more harmful diseases and bacteria. One brighter aspect of measles is that after you contract them once, it is nearly impossible for you to contract them again. The Rise and Fall of Measles In the early 60s and before, measles was one of the most common viruses with 500,000 known cases. Ever since 1963, the number of cases in America has drastically gone down. Later in the 60s, schools started requiring that kids have measles vaccine shots before entering school. Oddly enough, in 1988 the number of annual cases was only 3,500, but in 1989 it jumped to 18,000, and then to 28,000 in 1990. Luckily, in 1991 the number of cases eventually leveled off to about 10,000 again. Experts believe that this is due to infants 15 months and older not getting their measles vaccine shots, or adults, not having enough of the vaccine in them. Conclusion So sum it all up, you want to make sure you and your family do not get measles at any age. This is easy to do, because all you need to do is get the vaccine or vaccines needed. If everyone does this, eventually we might be able to eradicate all know cases of measles (like we did with smallpox), and the World will be a slightly safer place to live. /=  ucc(c0cx^r   ` !0!8!8!8!0 !H !H!H!H!H!8!8 !H!H!H!8!8!H !H!H!H!H!8!8!H !H!H!H!8!8!H! K@Normala "A@"Default Paragraph Font !      +Frank S. PaterniteC:\CHRIS\Measles2.doc@Frank's PrinterLPT1:winspoolEpson LQ-1500Frank's Printer |pJetterL ''''Frank's Printer |pJetterL ''''  1Times New Roman Symbol &Arial"qhFpFiFS $#@ MeaslesFrank S. PaterniteFrank S. Paternite Root Entry! F1[l8WordDocument0!Z CompObj8N0jSummaryInformation(  FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.69qࡱ3Oh+'0 $0 X d p | MeaslesFrank S. Paternite Normal.dotoFrank S. Paternite5atMicrosoft Word for WindoDocumentSummaryInformation`8 F rWordDocument!r  ` CompObj8 jSummaryInformation    !83՜.+,0HP\dl t|  WoN  Measlesws 95@O @@j@ ࡱ> 3՜.+,0HP\dl t|  WoN  Measlesࡱ>