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Translation from Italian:
Alarm in Italy measles cases tripled in just a few months [THE REPUBLIC]
MARIO of REGGIO
ROME --
It seemed now a memory linked to the past.
Instead a new outbreak of measles has triggered the alarm.
More than a thousand cases in Italy during the first four months of this year.
The most serious situation in Piedmont with 635 cases reported. Here Lombardy with 130, then the Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Puglia.
A resurgence of the epidemic that has alarmed the Health Ministry and the Higher Institute of Health.
[B]Nothing to do with the "great fear" of 2002-2003, with 60 thousand people infected and eight died.
Thus, just after the "black period", the Italian health authorities and the World Health Organization have decided to engage in fund plans vaccination, to get the complete "eradication" of measles in European countries by 2010, the first set in 2007.
The immediate consequences has been a sharp drop in infections, fell to twelve thousand in 2003 and 215 in 2005.
The vaccination plan, which covers together measles, mumps and rubella, agreed with the Regions against the new born before the completion of 24 months from birth has given its effects. The new cases, in fact, relate to a large extent young adolescent age who have never been vaccinated.
But what is measles? It is an infectious disease caused by the virus Morbillivirus, one of the most contagious you know and that is transmitted only between human beings.
Before the introduction of the vaccine, almost all children ammalavano of the first 15 years.
The epidemic is cyclical and occurs every three or four years. Once passed the infection immunity lasts a lifetime.
It is transmitted by air, through droplets of saliva issued with a knock of coughing, sneezing or simply talking. If the infected person has problems to the immune system the risk of complications are very high. And the damage may be serious, sometimes fatal.
Then attention if occurring forms of laryngitis, broncopolmoniti, otiti. In very rare cases the virus can cause a form of encephalitis morbillosa that generates permanent damage to neurological level.
But let's go back to the years blacks. In 2002-2003 children affected dall'epidemia, according to surveys of the Superior Institute of Health, were more than 44 thousand.
A pay more the consequences of the youngest regions of the South, where the incidence was 22 times higher than those of North and 8 times compared to the regions of the Centre.
In 2002, the diagnosis for hospitalisation caused by measles was often accompanied by complications of respiratory system and the nervous.
Out of a total of 3,072 shelters were being registered 391 diagnosis of pneumonia and 81 of encephalitis.
And to think that everything could be avoided by an extensive and widespread vaccination campaign.
Without counting the economic costs borne by the National Health Service: five million euros for hospital admissions, which must be added the 12 million related to treatment for people who was not hospitalized and days of work lost.
(May 19 2008)
--
Alarm in Italy measles cases tripled in just a few months [THE REPUBLIC]
MARIO of REGGIO
ROME --
It seemed now a memory linked to the past.
Instead a new outbreak of measles has triggered the alarm.
More than a thousand cases in Italy during the first four months of this year.
The most serious situation in Piedmont with 635 cases reported. Here Lombardy with 130, then the Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Puglia.
A resurgence of the epidemic that has alarmed the Health Ministry and the Higher Institute of Health.
[B]Nothing to do with the "great fear" of 2002-2003, with 60 thousand people infected and eight died.
Thus, just after the "black period", the Italian health authorities and the World Health Organization have decided to engage in fund plans vaccination, to get the complete "eradication" of measles in European countries by 2010, the first set in 2007.
The immediate consequences has been a sharp drop in infections, fell to twelve thousand in 2003 and 215 in 2005.
The vaccination plan, which covers together measles, mumps and rubella, agreed with the Regions against the new born before the completion of 24 months from birth has given its effects. The new cases, in fact, relate to a large extent young adolescent age who have never been vaccinated.
But what is measles? It is an infectious disease caused by the virus Morbillivirus, one of the most contagious you know and that is transmitted only between human beings.
Before the introduction of the vaccine, almost all children ammalavano of the first 15 years.
The epidemic is cyclical and occurs every three or four years. Once passed the infection immunity lasts a lifetime.
It is transmitted by air, through droplets of saliva issued with a knock of coughing, sneezing or simply talking. If the infected person has problems to the immune system the risk of complications are very high. And the damage may be serious, sometimes fatal.
Then attention if occurring forms of laryngitis, broncopolmoniti, otiti. In very rare cases the virus can cause a form of encephalitis morbillosa that generates permanent damage to neurological level.
But let's go back to the years blacks. In 2002-2003 children affected dall'epidemia, according to surveys of the Superior Institute of Health, were more than 44 thousand.
A pay more the consequences of the youngest regions of the South, where the incidence was 22 times higher than those of North and 8 times compared to the regions of the Centre.
In 2002, the diagnosis for hospitalisation caused by measles was often accompanied by complications of respiratory system and the nervous.
Out of a total of 3,072 shelters were being registered 391 diagnosis of pneumonia and 81 of encephalitis.
And to think that everything could be avoided by an extensive and widespread vaccination campaign.
Without counting the economic costs borne by the National Health Service: five million euros for hospital admissions, which must be added the 12 million related to treatment for people who was not hospitalized and days of work lost.
(May 19 2008)
--
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