I hope you are keeping your immune system in top shape with good food, exercise, sunlight, and adequate levels of vitamins A, C, and D.
You are probably aware that there are more than 146 cases of measles in Texas, and one child has died. But the graphs below of cases and deaths give some perspective.
Once considered a rite of childhood that almost everybody got, measles has become a source of panic. While patients ordinarily recover uneventfully, some have long-term adverse effects such as deafness or brain damage, and a few die. It is extremely contagious.
Both the case rate and death rate have plummeted since 1960, and death rates have been sharply decreasing since 1920. Improvements in sanitation and nutrition eliminated about 98% of measles deaths before 1960.
The first measles vaccine was licensed in 1963. Vaccine coverage rates were around 50–60% in the 1970s. But despite more than 90% coverage now, measles has not been eradicated, nor can it be. The vaccine is not perfect. Children can still get infected and transmit disease, especially if they get “atypical measles,” which is not recognized. Immunity wanes with time.
The results of measles vaccination are not all good. It has changed the age distribution of infections to older children and adults, who are more seriously affected than schoolchildren, and to babies, who no longer are protected by more robust natural immunity in their mothers.
Newly confirmed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., stated that the outbreak is a highest priority and is supplying 2,000 doses of MMR vaccine. He stated: “All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” He also said: “CDC has recently updated their recommendation supporting administration of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician for those with mild, moderate, and severe infection. Studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.”
Additional Information:
- Information on measles and on the MMR vaccine (unfortunately, a measles vaccine without the rubella and mumps components or one made without using fetal cells is not available in the U.S.): Physicians for Informed Consent
- Vitamin A in measles
