Hello everyone,
Dr. Chuma here for a quick health segment.
Measles has been in the press a lot. I had not thought much about measles in the last 30 years of my practice since it has not been an issue and I needed a primer, so I’m sharing it with you.
Measles, also known as Rubeola, is a viral disease. The exact origin of measles is unknown, however, just like every other infectious disease plaguing mankind, it is believed to be a result of animal domestication and overcrowding, in this case, from cattle.
It first emerged in the Middle East between the 11th and 12th centuries. From there, it spread rapidly throughout the world, reaching Europe by the 14th and the Americas by the 17th centuries.
Symptoms are similar to any regular cold and include fever, cough, achyness but also include a rash, sore throat and white spots in the mouth called Koplik’s Spots.
It spreads rapidly because it is highly contagious.
90% of those in a room with an infected person will become infected themselves. Whether they get the full blown disease depends on their vaccination and immunity status.
Incubation, meaning the time of infection to symptom development is 7-10 days. It is spread by droplets in the air produced by coughing and sneezing.
The symptoms of the disease last for another 7-10 days and you are contagious for up to 10 days starting as early as 4 days before a rash even appears.
Although death from this disease is rare, only 1 in 1000, almost a quarter of infected people need to be hospitalized.
Needless to say, this is a serious disease.
Thanks to aggressive vaccination campaigns in the 1970s and 1980s, the disease was pronounced “eradicated” in the US in 2000, meaning that an entire year had gone by without any transmission or outbreaks. But in the wake of the disproven association between vaccination and autism, and the resulting anti-vaccination movement, measles is once again on the rise.
This year is the worst in over 30 years with 12 states having had measles outbreaks, the most significant occurring in Texas. As of this week, Texas alone has had over 220 confirmed cases with 2 deaths, one in a young child and the other an elderly person. Both deaths and 94% of cases overall were in unvaccinated people. 80% of cases are in kids.
There is no treatment for infection, just supportive care.
The only strategy to combat this disease is prevention, and that starts with vaccination. The MMR is a combined vaccination against measles and 2 other common viral diseases both also on the rise, Mumps and Rubella. It is a very safe and extremely effective vaccine with a 98% disease prevention rate. It is also a lifelong vaccine so boosters are very rarely necessary. Also, if you were born before 1957 when the vaccine was rolled out, you likely already had measles and also have lifelong immunity.
Even our wack-a-doodle head of Health of Human Services Robert Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, has stated that vaccination against measles is important for kids. He did qualify his statement by adding that it should be a personal decision and that cod liver oil and vitamin A should also be considered, reaffirming in my opinion, his complete incompetence to be in his position of authority. He has absolutely no education in anything involving any branch of science, let alone medicine and health.
If you are a parent or grandparent, please vaccinate your kids.
It’s a bit late for the flu vaccine but that is also important to consider for next year. We are on the tail end of the worst flu season in over 16 years. As of February 21st, 2025, the CDC reported that 19,000 people have died in the US with nearly half a million hospitalizations. Last season was the second worst season in 15 years. Why is it on the rise? Because of declining vaccination rates.
I hate prescribing any drugs and to be honest, this last year I have done a bit of diving into the world of public health, infectious diseases and vaccines. I’ve spoken to many other specialists. I’ve read many articles and a few books well known in the vaccine sceptic world and although there are many interesting historical facts and trends about how infectious diseases wax and wane, and they certainly point out that vaccines are not perfect and can have complications with many early vaccines even killing a lot of people. Yet I still come away from this issue in support of vaccination. The simple fact is that the incidence of side effects is far greater if you get sick with a disease than from the vaccine protecting you against it.
Remember that aspirin causes more side effects and kills more people worldwide than any other drug and how many of us take that without any reservations.
Just like cancer and heart disease, prevention is the key.
Be safe and Stay Well.
Until next time.