Posted on 03/03/2005 5:43:36 PM PST by neverdem
The world should be able to meet a goal of reducing by half the number of measles deaths by the end of the year, two United Nations agencies said today.
The number of deaths from the highly contagious viral disease has dropped by 39 percent, to about 530,000 in 2003 from 873,000 in 1999, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund said in a joint report.
During this period, the largest reduction in measles deaths occurred in Africa, the area where the disease hits hardest.
In 2003, the member countries of the World Health Organization set a goal of reducing by 50 percent the number of measles deaths by 2005.
The strategy called for immunizing at least 90 percent of infants and young children in every district and to provide a second immunization every three to four years. A second shot is needed for two reasons: to reach children who failed to receive the measles vaccine in the first round, and to stimulate the immune systems of the 10 to 15 percent of children who fail to develop immunity after a first shot at age 9 months.
The second shot to those groups aims at preventing the accumulation of susceptible children to dangerous levels. Almost all nonimmune children will contract measles if exposed to the virus.
Measles typically causes a rash and fever. The disease has become rare in developed countries where shots with a vaccine developed 40 years ago are standard.
But a decade ago, measles killed millions of children each year and many of the 30 million more who survived the illness were left blind and with brain damage and other lifelong disabilities.
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The UN must be estatic. Less measles means more virgin children they can molest.
I remember having measels, despite the best pediatric care money could buy. I only had a few and it was only semi-irritating (poison ivy is worse) and it was even cool to have survived it.
A POX ON THE U.N.
As my hubby refers to them, the Useless Nitwits are at it again!
I get measles just reading about them... quickly leaving now for another thread ;)
This was written in the Slimes and the author failed to ask what Bush knew about it??? Wow!!!
Note further that measles, like mumps and chcken-pox is more than semi-irritating.
To some of the people some of the time.
To some of the people some of the time.
I was out of school for three weeks and went from 60 to 50 pounds when I had measles. Treatment for measles is normally supportive care. Inhibitors of measles virus. .
I'm not sure what you are saying here. Chicken pox is known to reactivate and cause Shingles. But other than that I can't think of any other disease that comes back.
If you check out history, measles has been cited to devastate whole populations. (Native Americans, Hawaiians, Polynesians) It's theorized that the Europeans domestication of animals lead to a basic immunity to the disease.
Also there are two different viruses that are labeled "measles". One is not much worse than the common cold, the other is another story. They both cause spots.
I am refering to the common misconception that childhood infectious diseases are an inconvenience and little more.
The Diseaes don't "come back". They have long term effects on the immune system.
There are studies that attempt to establish a relationship between the development of diseases like MS or Alzheimers later in life with measles and/or varicella in childhood. These studies are very preliminary, but cannot yet be discounted either.
You may not know a childhood disease that has long term
immune system implications, but that doesn't mean it isn't so. Remember when stomach ulcers were believed to be caused by stress? I remember being taught that asthma was a stress disorder. Things change. lol
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