Checking In : I had Measles and lived.
Did you know ...
Before a vaccine was available, infection with measles virus was nearly universal during childhood, and more than 90% of persons were immune by age 15 years.
Most measles cases are benign and not reported to public health departments.2
Measles virus is rapidly inactivated by heat, sunlight, acidic pH ( which is the #1 precursor of illness in the human body), and trypsin.
It has a short survival time (less than 2 hours) in the air or on objects and surfaces.
Malnutrition, especially vitamin A deficiency, is a primary cause of about 90,000 measles deaths annually in underdeveloped nations.6
In the U.S. and other developed countries, 75–92% of hospitalized measles cases are low in vitamin A.7,8
What treatments are available for measles?
Because measles resolves on its own in almost all cases, usually only supportive treatment is necessary.
As such, treatment options include the following:
• Rest
• Hydration
• High-dose vitamin A (12)
• Immune globulin
(available for immunocompromised patients, such as those on chemotherapy)13
Approximately 30% of reported measles cases have one or more complications.
Research studies and national tracking of measles have documented the following:
1 in 10,000 or 0.01% of measles cases are fatal.3
3 to 3.5 in 10,000 or 0.03–0.035% of measles cases result in seizure. 9
1 in 20,000 or 0.005% of measles cases result in measles encephalitis.4
1 in 80,000 or 0.00125% of cases result in permanent disability from measles encephalitis.4
7 in 1,000 or 0.7% of cases are hospitalized.10
6 to 22 in 1,000,000 or 0.0006–0.0022% of cases result in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).11
Complications of measles are most common among children younger than 5 years of age and adults 20 years of age and older.
From 1985 through 1992, diarrhea was reported in 8% of measles cases, making this the most commonly reported complication of measles. Otitis media was reported in 7% of cases and occurs almost exclusively in children. Pneumonia (in 6% of reported cases) may be viral or superimposed bacterial, and is the most common cause of measles-related death.
Acute encephalitis occurs in approximately 0.1% of reported cases. Onset generally occurs 6 days after rash onset (range 1–15 days) and is characterized by fever, headache, vomiting, stiff neck, meningeal irritation, drowsiness, convulsions, and coma. Cerebrospinal fluid shows pleocytosis and elevated protein. The case-fatality rate is approximately 15%.
Some form of residual neurologic damage occurs in as many as 25% of cases. Seizures (with or without fever) are reported in 0.6%– 0.7% of cases.
Death from measles was reported in approximately 0.2% of the cases in the United States from 1985 through 1992.
Atypical measles might be prevented by revaccinating with live measles vaccine.
Moderate to severe local reactions with or without fever may follow vaccination; these reactions are said in some cases to be less severe than with with wild measles virus infection.
Measles in an immunocompromised person can be severe with a prolonged course. As can any virus.
It is reported almost exclusively in persons with T-cell deficiencies (certain leukemias, lymphomas, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]).
The mothers of many infants who developed measles were young, and their measles immunity was most often due to vaccination rather than infection with wild virus.
As a result, a smaller amount of antibody was transferred across the placenta to the fetus, compared with antibody transfer from mothers who had higher antibody titers resulting from wild-virus infection.
Hereʼs the kicker ... The lower quantity of antibody resulted in immunity that waned more rapidly, making infants susceptible at a younger age than in the past. Hence needing a synthetic prevention form.
After MMR vaccination, a person can experience:
Minor events:
Sore arm from the injection
Fever
Redness or rash at the injection site Swelling of glands in the cheeks or neck
If these events happen, they usually begin within 2 weeks after the shot. They occur less often after the second dose.
Moderate events:
Seizure (jerking or staring) often associated with fever
Temporary pain and stiffness in the joints, mostly in teenage or adult women
Temporary low platelet count, which can cause unusual bleeding or bruising
Rash all over body
Severe events occur very rarely:
Deafness
Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness
Brain damage
Death
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) is a federal program that was created to compensate people who may have been injured by certain vaccines.
Persons who believe they may have been injured by a vaccine can learn about the program and about filing a claim by calling 1-800-338-2382 or visiting the VICP website. There is a time limit to file a claim for compensation.
It has not been proven that the MMR vaccine is safer than measles.
The vaccine package insert raises questions about safety testing for cancer, genetic mutations, and impaired fertility.
Inserts :
Canda :https://www.merck.ca/static/pdf/MMR_II-PM_E.pdf US:https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/
Although VAERS tracks some adverse events, it is too inaccurate to measure against the risk of measles. Clinical trials do not have the ability to detect less common adverse reactions, and epidemiological studies are limited by the effects of chance and possible confounders.
Safety studies of the MMR vaccine are particularly lacking in statistical power.
A review of more than 60 MMR vaccine studies conducted for the Cochrane Library states, “The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre- and post-marketing, are largely inadequate.”12
Because permanent sequalae (aftereffects) from measles, especially in individuals with normal levels of vitamin A, are so rare,3 the level of accuracy of the research studies available is insufficient to prove that the vaccine causes less death or permanent injury than measles.
Figure 2: This graph shows the measles death rate before the vaccine was introduced, when measles was a common childhood viral infection, and compares it to the leading causes of death in children under age 10 today. Hence, in the pre-vaccine era, the measles death rate per 100,000 was 0.9 for children under age 10. In 2015, the death rate per 100,000 for homicide was 1.3, followed by cancer (2.0), SIDS (3.9), unintentional injury (8.2), and congenital anomalies (13.6). The rate of death or permanent injury from the MMR vaccine is unknown because the research studies available are not able to measure it with sufficient accuracy.22, 23
Are there any benefits from getting measles?
There are studies that suggest a link between naturally acquired measles infection and a reduced risk of Hodgkinʼs and non-Hodgkinʼs lymphomas, as well as a reduced risk of atopic diseases such as hay fever, eczema and asthma.14-18 In addition, measles infections are associated with a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease in adulthood.19
Which is really interesting given recent main stream news interest lately regarding medical science proving measles attacks cancer , which those of us who have been paying attention already knew a decade ago https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926122/
And no itʼs not “conspiracy theory” or I doubt the Mayo Clinic would be doing this: https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/cancer-research/research-programs/womens-cancer-program/breast-cancer-spore/research-projects/measles-virus-based-immunovirotherapy-treatment-metastatic-breast-cancer
Moreover, infants born to mothers who have had naturally acquired measles are protected from measles via maternal immunity longer than infants born to vaccinated mothers.20
References
Inclusive: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/
mmr.html
m. Vaccines and immunizations: MMR vaccine side effects. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [updated 2017 May 8; cited 2017 June 21]. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side- effects.htm#mmr.
n. Vestergaard M, Hviid A, Madsen KM, Wohlfahrt J, Thorsen P, Schendel D, Melbye M, Olsen J. MMR vaccination and febrile seizures: evaluation of susceptible subgroups and long-term prognosis. JAMA. 2004 Jul 21;292(3):356.
o. Physicians for Informed Consent. Measles – disease information statement (DIS). Dec 2017. https:// www.physiciansforinformedconsent.org/measles/dis.
p. U.S. Food and Drug Administration: M-M-R II (measles, mumps, and rubella virus vaccine live). Whitehouse Station: Merck & Co., Inc.;c1971 [cited 2017 June 21]. https://www.fda.gov/downloads/ biologicsbloodvaccines/vaccines/approvedproduct/ ucm123789.pdf.
q. CDC wonder: about the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [cited 2017 June 21]. https://wonder.cdc.gov/vaers.html. Query for death and permanent disability involving all measles-containing vaccines,
2011-2015.
u. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Manual for the
surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases. 5th ed. Miller ER, Haber P, Hibbs B, Broder K. Chapter 21: surveillance for adverse events following immunization using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2011. 1,2,8.
v. Guide to interpreting VAERS data. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [cited 2017 June 21]. https://vaers.hhs.gov/data/dataguide.html.
w. Kessler DA. Introducing MEDWatch. A new approach to reporting medication and device adverse effects and product problems. JAMA. 1993 Jun 2;269(21):2765-8.
x. Doshi P. The unofficial vaccine educators: are CDC funded non- profits sufficiently independent? [letter]. BMJ. 2017 Nov 7 [cited 2017 Nov 20];359:j5104. http://www.bmj.com/content/359/ bmj.j5104/rr-13.
my. CDC wonder: about the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [cited 2017 June 21]. https://wonder.cdc.gov/vaers.html.
mm. Madsen KM, Hviid A, Vestergaard M, Schendel D, WohlFahrt J, Thorsen P, Olsen J, Melbye M. A population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism. N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 7;347(19):1477,1480.
mn. Demicheli V, Rivetti A, Debalini MG, Di Pietrantonj C. Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella in children. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 15;(2).
mo. Physicians For Informed Consent https:// physiciansforinformedconsent.org/measles/dis/
mp. Alexander FE, Jarrett RF, Lawrence D, Armstrong AA, Freeland J, Gokhale DA, Kane E, Taylor GM, Wright DH, Cartwright RA. Risk factors for Hodgkinʼs disease by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status: prior infection by EBV and other agents. Br J Cancer. 2000 Mar; 82(5):1117-21.
mq. Glaser SL, Keegan TH, Clarke CA, Trinh M, Dorfman RF, Mann RB, DiGiuseppe JA, Ambinder RF. Exposure to childhood infections and risk of Epstein-Barr virus—defined Hodgkinʼs lymphoma in women. Int J Cancer. 2005 Jul 1;115(4):599-605.
mu. Montella M, Maso LD, Crispo A, Talamini R, Bidoli E, Grimaldi M, Giudice A, Pinto A, Franceschi S. Do childhood diseases affect NHL and HL risk? A case-control study from northern and southern Italy. Leuk Res. 2006 Aug;30(8):917-22.
mv. Shaheenet SO, Aaby P, Hall AJ, Barker DJ, Heyes CB, Shiell AW, Goudiaby A. Measles and atopy in Guinea-Bissau. Lancet. 1996 Jun 29;347}1792-6.
mw. Rosenlund H, Bergström A, Alm JS, Swartz J, Scheynius A, van Hage M, Johansen K, Brunekreef B, von Mutius E, Ege MJ, Riedler J, Braun-Fahrländer C, Waser M, Pershagen G; PARSIFAL Study Group. Allergic disease and atopic sensitization in children in relation to measles vaccination and measles infection. Pediatrics. 2009 Mar;123(3):771-8.
mx. Kubota Y, Iso H, Tamakoshi A, JACC Study Group. Association of measles and mumps with cardiovascular disease. The Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) study. Atherosclerosis. 2015 August; 241(2):682-6.
ny. Waaijenborg S, Hahné SJ, Mollema L, Smits GP, Berbers GA, van der Klis FR, de Melker HE, Wallinga J. Waning of maternal antibodies against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in communities with contrasting vaccination coverage. J Infect Dis. 2013 Jul;208(1):10-6.
nm. Poland GA, Jacobson RM. The re-emergence of measles in developed countries: time to develop the next-generation measles vaccines? Vaccine. 2012 Jan 5;30(2):103-4.
nn. Physicians for Informed Consent. Measles – vaccine risk statement (VRS). Dec 2017. https://www.physiciansforinformedconsent.org/ measles/vrs.
no. Demicheli V, Rivetti A, Debalini MG, Di Pietrantonj C. Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella in children. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 15;(2).
np. 10 leading causes of death by age group, United States—2015. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [cited 2017 June 21]. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/images/lc-charts/ leading_causes_of_death_age_group_2015_1050w740h.gif.
nq. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Vital statistics of the United States 1962, volume 2—mortality, part A. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office; 1964. 94.