Measles vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions available for preventing deaths related with it. Measles immunisation carries the highest health return for the money spent, saving more lives per unit cost than any other health intervention globally.
Measles remains a leading cause of death among young children, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine for the past 40 years. In 2006, it was estimated that there were 242,000 measles deaths globally: this translates to about 663 deaths every day or 27 deaths every hour. The overwhelming majority (more than 95 percent) of measles deaths occur in developing countries.
These views were expressed by Chairman Pakistan Medical Society (PMS) Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh while addressing a workshop held under the auspices of PMS in connection with the "Measles awareness campaign in the Punjab province," here.
Dr Israr Hussain, Dr Ali, Dr Fauzia, Dr Arif also addressed the workshop. The PMS executive committee member, and community workers attended the workshop.
Dr Masood Sheikh said that immunisation prevents sufferings, complications and death caused by measles. The measles vaccine is safe, effective and inexpensive. Remember that measles is very rare, and a child who is properly vaccinated is extremely unlikely to contract the disease. Vaccination has had a major impact on measles deaths. From 2000 to 2006, an estimated 478 million children aged nine months to 14 years received measles vaccine through supplementary immunisation activities in 46 out of the 47 priority countries with the highest burden of measles, he added. These accelerated activities have resulted in a significant reduction in estimated global measles deaths.
Overall, global measles mortality decreased by 68 percent between 2000 and 2006. The largest gains occurred in Africa where measles cases and deaths fell by 91 percent. Global Immunisation Vision and Strategy (GIVS) calls on countries to reduce global measles deaths by 90 percent by 2010 compared to 2000 estimates, he said.
WHO and Unicef have developed a comprehensive strategy to sustainably reduce measles deaths. Dr Masood Sheikh maintained that Measles can be particularly deadly in countries experiencing or recovering from war, civil strife or a natural disaster. Infection rates soar because damage to infrastructure and health services interrupts routine immunisation and overcrowding in camps for refugees and internally displaced people greatly increases the risk of infection.
"Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. Almost all non-immune children contract this respiratory disease if exposed to the virus," he added. It is a human disease not known to occur in animals.
Talking about the symptoms, Dr Masood said that Measles is probably best known for the full-body rash that it causes, the first symptoms of the infection are usually a hacking cough, runny nose, high fever, and watery red eyes. Another marker of measles is Koplik's spots, small red spots with blue-white centres that appear inside the mouth. The measles rash typically has a red or reddish brown blotchy appearance, and first usually shows up on the forehead, then spreads downward over the face, neck and body, then down to the feet. The first sign of infection is usually high fever, which begins approximately 10 to 12 days after exposure and lasts one to seven days.
Over a period of about three days, the rash spreads, eventually reaching the hands and feet. The rash lasts for five to six days, then fades. The rash occurs, on average, at day 14 after exposure to the virus, with a range of seven to 18 days. Since measles is caused by a virus, symptoms typically go away on their own without medical treatment once the virus has run its course. But a child who is sick should be sure to receive plenty of fluids and rest, and kept from spreading the infection to others.
According to Dr Masood Sheikh, un-immunised young children are at highest risk for measles and its complications, including death. Measles vaccine is not usually given to infants younger than 9 months old. Measles vaccine should not be given to pregnant women, or to kids with active tuberculosis, leukemia, lymphoma, or people whose immune systems are suppressed for some reason.
Dr Israr Hussain Asif said that if fever is making your child more uncomfortable, you may want to give a non-aspirin fever medication such as acetaminophen.
As with any viral infection, encourage your child to drink clear fluids: water, fruit juice, tea, and lemonade. These will help replace bodily fluids your child loses in the heat and sweating of fever episodes. Use a cool-mist vaporiser to relieve cough and to soothe breathing passages. Clean the vaporiser each day to prevent mold from growing. Avoid hot-water or steam vaporisers that can cause accidental burns and scalds in children.
Dr Fauzia said that Measles vaccine occasionally causes side effects in kids who don't have any underlying health problems. In about 10 percent of cases the measles vaccine causes a fever between 5 and 12 days after vaccination, and in about 5 percent of cases the vaccine causes a rash, which isn't contagious and usually fades on its own.