Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: Alandriel on 13/11/2007 14:37:39

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: Alandriel on 13/11/2007 14:37:39

What’s the real deal with Measles?


Our neighbourhood has just (once again  [::)]) almost gone hysterical: a case of measles had to be reported by the school.


Is it really such a terrible / life-threatening disease as some make it out to be ?

Perhaps the virus has changed/mutated since last I checked but in my day and age treating measles at home was no problem and rarely led to complications let alone was concern for near hysteria in the neighbourhood.

Can someone please update me and give me the REAL facts as the more I read the more conflicting info I get
(and please - without getting into any pro/anti vaccination discussion please ~ been there too many times already. Thanks)

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: Karen W. on 13/11/2007 20:09:07

My husband and my two boys both got the measels there was a rash and they felt crudy like the flue but it passed in threee or 4 days as I recalled and they just stayed inside and warm and fed .. It was not a big deal for us, but I really don't know much about it otherwise.. I was raised like you.. not to big a deal about it!

I know it can be bad to expose a pregnant women to, but am not sure why!

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: Carol-A on 16/11/2007 11:29:03

For most people it is a nasty illness that leaves no long term effects, but there are serious side effects for some, such as pneumonia or even deafness. The main reason for immunising everyone is to protect the most vunerable in the population. In the third world, measles is a major killer!
From Wikopedia:
Complications with measles are relatively common, ranging from relatively mild and less serious diarrhea, to pneumonia and encephalitis (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis), corneal ulceration leading to corneal scarring[1]. Complications are usually more severe amongst adults who catch the virus.
The fatality rate from measles for otherwise healthy people in developed countries is low: approximately 1 death per thousand cases. In underdeveloped nations with high rates of malnutrition and poor healthcare, fatality rates of 10 percent are common. In immunocompromised patients, the fatality rate is approximately 30 percent.

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: Alandriel on 16/11/2007 14:02:41

Thanks!

At least I'm somewhat reassured that there is not a new strain / mutation of the virus on the loose.

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: Karen W. on 16/11/2007 14:40:12

You know I should have remembered the part about causing defness as my little sister Jeanna had the measels and lost her hearing in one ear totally gone! It happened when we were very tiny so I never think about it til she says what say that in my good ear!

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: rosy on 16/11/2007 15:22:56

The pregnant women thing is to do with the fact that when a woman is pregnant she's got a little alien living inside her. The immune system is tuned to recognise and expel/destroy foreign tissues, on the basis that they shouldn't be there and are therefore probably a disease, which is why organ transplants must be carefully tissue-typed and even then immunosuppressing drugs are required. In the case of a baby, there's no selection on tissue typing (except in as far as I think some research suggests that we tend to find people with a compatible immune system more attractive, but I don't know any details). The placenta keeps the mother and baby's blood pretty rigorously seperated, but the immune system still has to be turned down during pregnancy so the mother is in some sense "immunocompromised" for the duration. If she catches measles she's likely to be really ill.
I don't think measles can cross the placenta to infect the baby (tho' I doubt mum being ill will do the developing child any good), it's not like rubella (german measles) which can have serious negative effects on the unborn child (which I believe is a major part of the reason why we vaccinate against it in children).

Title: What’s the real deal with Measles?
Post by: Alandriel on 21/11/2007 21:39:50

Thanks Rosy
 [:)]