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Pamela Nguyen
June 1, 2010 | 8:01 a.m
I have been thinking a lot about measles lately. In four years as a medical student and three years as a pediatric resident, I have never seen a case. As a result, all I know about the illness, I learned from textbooks. What scares me is that this soon may change. This spring, Los Angeles County saw it's first confirmed case of measles since 2006.
Measles is a serious public health threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children. In 2007, there were 197,000 measles deaths worldwide, 90% of them in children younger than 5. That is nearly 450 deaths every day.
A study published in the April issue of Pediatrics examined a 2008 measles outbreak in San Diego. The index case was a 7-year-old unvaccinated child who was exposed to the virus while abroad. This case resulted in 839 exposed persons, 11 actual cases (all in unvaccinated children) and the hospitalization of an infant too young to be vaccinated. In total, the outbreak cost the public more than $175,000, which would have covered the costs of measles vaccinations for almost 180,000 children.
And yet, many parents continue not to vaccinate their children. I see such children frequently. Last fall, when I entered an examination room, a 5-year-old patient loudly yelled "Get out!" Her mother apologized, then explained. "Sorry, she's never gotten S-H-O-T-S before."
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June 1, 2010 | 8:01 a.m
I have been thinking a lot about measles lately. In four years as a medical student and three years as a pediatric resident, I have never seen a case. As a result, all I know about the illness, I learned from textbooks. What scares me is that this soon may change. This spring, Los Angeles County saw it's first confirmed case of measles since 2006.
Measles is a serious public health threat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children. In 2007, there were 197,000 measles deaths worldwide, 90% of them in children younger than 5. That is nearly 450 deaths every day.
A study published in the April issue of Pediatrics examined a 2008 measles outbreak in San Diego. The index case was a 7-year-old unvaccinated child who was exposed to the virus while abroad. This case resulted in 839 exposed persons, 11 actual cases (all in unvaccinated children) and the hospitalization of an infant too young to be vaccinated. In total, the outbreak cost the public more than $175,000, which would have covered the costs of measles vaccinations for almost 180,000 children.
And yet, many parents continue not to vaccinate their children. I see such children frequently. Last fall, when I entered an examination room, a 5-year-old patient loudly yelled "Get out!" Her mother apologized, then explained. "Sorry, she's never gotten S-H-O-T-S before."
.....
