Tag: measles

Measles Cases Surge in the U.S.: Understanding the Outbreak

Measles cases in the U.S. have surged recently. Measles is highly contagious with serious complications, though largely preventable via vaccinations like the MMR. Public health officials express concern over these outbreaks.

update March 10, 2025

Measles in the U.S. has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, closing in on 700 cases this year in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines.

“This is alarming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert. Not only is measles dangerous in itself, but its return could mean other vaccine-preventable diseases seemingly consigned to the past may be coming back as well, he said.

APNEWS.COM, APRIL 24, 2019

What is measles?

At one time, measles was one of the “usual childhood diseases” that most people Born before 1957 contracted as children prior to the use of the vaccine. It is caused by a virus in the Paramyxoviridae family and spread by person-to-person contact.

The other childhood diseases were

  • Rubella, or  German measles
  • Chicken pox, or  varicella
  • Roseola
  • Fifth Disease, or erythema infectiosum

These all cause a rash, called an exanthem.

Mumps was also a common childhood disease but does not usually cause a rash.

Symptoms of measles include

  • cough,
  • nasal drainage,
  • reddened, inflamed eyes, and
  • a rash as pictured below.
the rash of measles
image courtesy of the CDC- Centers for Disease Control , U.S. government

Treatment of Measles

Management of measles involves supportive care, meaning controlling fever for comfort, ensuring adequate nutrition and fluids to prevent dehydration.

Vitamin A supplementation is recommended by the World Health Organization and the CDC.

An antiviral drug, ribavirin has been used to treat severe life-threatening cases. It has not been studied in controlled trials, so the FDA has not approved its use.

Most of those infected recover uneventfully but there can be serious complications including pneumonia and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

Preventing measles and other exanthems

After the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963 the number of reported cases was reduced by 99%. In 2000 measles was declared no longer endemic (occurring routinely) in the United States. U.S. public health officials consider an outbreak a major setback in the control of infectious disease.

Measles vaccine is usually administered as a “3 in 1” vaccine- the MMR, which has been vilified as a possible cause of autism, although that has been thoroughly discredited.

The other two letters in the mix stand for mumps and rubella (also known as German measles) both of which are also caused by viruses and for which no treatment exists.

No vaccine exists for roseola or Fifth Disease, but we have an effective vaccine for varicella, commonly called chickenpox.

MEASLES OUTBREAK 2025

According to KFF Health News

“Since the outbreak emerged three weeks ago, the Texas health department has confirmed 90 cases with 16 hospitalizations, as of Feb. 21. Most of those infected are under age 18.

Officials suspect that nine additional measles cases reported in New Mexico, across the border from the epicenter of the Texas outbreak in Gaines County, are linked to the Texas outbreak. Ongoing investigations seek to confirm that connection.

Health officials worry they’re missing cases. Undetected infections bode poorly for communities because doctors and health officials can’t contain transmission if they can’t identify who is infected.

“This is the tip of the iceberg,I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.”

Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer for The Immunization Partnership in Houston, a nonprofit that advocates for vaccine access.

Continue reading this report at

Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread

sharing the HEART of health

My family receives vaccines and believe any potential risk is worth the benefit. I urge you to think carefully and talk to a trusted physician before you make vaccination decisions for yourself and your children.

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Overview of Viral Diseases

Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, while antiviral medications are limited. Vaccines exist for several viruses and bacteria, including influenza, MMR, and Hepatitis strains. However, diseases like malaria and HPV require additional attention. Many infections lack preventive vaccines, emphasizing the importance of consulting physicians for advice on vaccinations and disease prevention.

Virus vs Bacteria

One major difference between bacterial and viral infections is the treatment. We have many more effective antibiotics (drugs which fight bacteria) than we do antiviral drugs.

And antibiotics do not affect viruses. Despite that fact, patients often expect and even demand their physicians prescribe antibiotics for viral infections such as influenza, colds and bronchitis- and unfortunately too often we physicians do it anyway.

6 smart facts about antibiotic use

Influenza- the vaccine is given annually and targeted to the strains of virus predicted to be active in any given year.

 

Measles (rubeola), Mumps, Rubella (German measles) -I am grouping these together since their vaccines are usually given together as the MMR. Recent outbreaks of measles have been attributed to the decline in vaccination rates. 

Polio, a disease parents feared when I was a child, due to to risk of permanent paralysis, now essentially eradicated in the United States

Rotavirus,  in infants and small children, a common cause of gastroenteritis- vomiting and diarrhea, with or without fever and abdominal pain

HPV, the human papilloma virus, causes warts of all kinds, but the vaccine is targeted to the strains that cause genital warts and cervical cancer

The cousin viruses, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis is an infection of the liver, which can range from a mild disease to life threatening. Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food or water. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids.

Another set of cousins, Varicella Zoster (VZ) virus causes two different infections and thus has two vaccines. The original infection is  varicella or chickenpox, formerly a common childhood illness but not seen often now due to the vaccine. When it reactivates, usually years later in adulthood, it is known as  zoster or shingles.

There are also several vaccines usually reserved for travel to specific areas of the world, occupational exposure, military service or other special circumstances. These include vaccines for anthrax, typhoid, cholera, (bacteria) and yellow fever, smallpox,and rabies (viruses). 

Diseases for which there is no vaccine

One of the most serious is malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted by infected mosquitos. Malaria is rarely a risk in northern or extreme southern areas of the world, but for the tropics, especially sub-Saharan Africa it is a major health problem. (A vaccine is being tested.)

Otherwise we all are at risk of other serious infections that we cannot yet prevent with immunization. These include

HIV-human immunodeficiency virus ,and most other sexually transmitted diseases including HSV- herpes simplex virus, gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia.

HCV- Hepatitis C

Most respiratory viruses, including rhinovirus, cause of the common cold; RSV-respiratory syncytial virus and infectious mononucleosis

The Ebola virus

Borrelia, not really a bacteria, it’s a spirochete, which causes Lyme (not lime) disease

And the bacteria Staphylococcus, which causes “staph” (not staff) infections of the skin and Streptococcus, which causes “strep throat”.

If you have any questions or concerns about which vaccines you might need to protect yourself against infections, please consult your own personal physician.

Detailed information about vaccines and infectious disease  is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Preventing bacterial infections

  Prevention is a focus in healthcare now  and immunization has  been one of the most effective ways to prevent disease ever developed. The list of diseases that are “vaccine preventable” is long and continues to grow. Vaccine recommendations may be based on a person’s Vaccine administration may vary by Immunization protocols have  become so complex…

Exploring the HEART of health

I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you turn health challenges into health opportunities.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.

Dr. Aletha