Editor-in-Chief
The
past month has seen many outbreaks across the country of formerly infectious
diseases now controlled through vaccination. In California, 49 cases of measles
have been reported this year, up from just four the year before. Meanwhile in
Ohio, 175 people including a nine month old infant have been infected with
mumps, with the number steadily increasing daily. An outbreak of mumps also
occurred at the Ohio State University in March, with 111 cases being reported.
The
strain of measles indigenous to North and South America was declared eradicated
by the U.S. government in 2000. However, travelers have been known to return
home having contracted the virus in foreign countries such as India. This,
combined with some citizens influenced by the anti-vaccination movement, has
led to outbreaks in the past. The last outbreak of measles occurred from
January to July 2008, when 127 cases were reported in 15 states. Mumps breaks
out much more often, with flare-ups occurring in Wisconsin and Nebraska in 2006
compiling at least 100 cases of the disease, along with another 1,000 cases
hitting the Orthodox Jewish communities of New York and New Jersey from 2009 to
2010, even though most had been vaccinated for the disease.
The
symptoms of measles include fevers that can reach as high as 104°F, and either
coughing, head colds, or red eyes. Several days after the onset of the fever,
rashes breakout all over the body. Measles can also lead to complications such
as diarrhea and pneumonia, and even death in some cases. Mumps on the other
hand very rarely leads to death. Symptoms include swollen glands, fever,
vomiting, and headaches.
