1. Measles Outbreak 2014-15 How Vaccines Work & Why We Are in an Outbreak

2. What is Measles? Highly contagious RNA virus Symptoms Transmission
measles is so contagious, 90% of people exposed become infected (unless they are immune)
Symptoms
high fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, red and watery eyes
3-5 days later a rash appears all over the skin and in the mouth
Transmission
virus can survive for 2 hours on surfaces and in the air after a person coughs or sneezes
incubation time of days after you’re infected
spread for about an 8 day period - 4 days before the rash appears and ends when the rash has been present for 4 days

3. Vaccination is the best preventative solution
Complications
diarrhea
1/10 of measles cases have ear infections which can lead to hearing loss
pneumonia which can lead to death
brain swelling & convulsions which can lead to deafness or intellectual disability
can cause premature birth for pregnant women
Medications
over the counter medications acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve) can be used to reduce the fever
aspirin after chickenpox or flu-like symptoms may cause Reye’s syndrome (swelling in liver and brain) in rare cases
antibiotics for pneumonia or ear infections
vitamin A may lessen severity
Vaccination is the best preventative solution

4. Before vaccines, there were MUCH HIGHER rates of disease for many severe diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, polio, and smallpox.

5. Brief History of Measles
Before 1963, nearly all children in the U.S. got measles by 15 years old
From measles, each year:
people died
48,000 hospitalized
4,000 suffered swelling of the brain
In 1963, a measles vaccines was released in the U.S.
Due to vaccines, measles was declared “eliminated” in However, due to a decrease in the % of unvaccinated Americans, outbreaks have reoccurred.
People also lost their hearing

6. Measles:
Before 1963, ~530,200 cases in the U.S. each year.
Only 86 cases reported in 2000

7. Starting in 2014, we’ve had 3 measles outbreaks in the U.S.
One started at Disneyland in Dec

8. What Gives You Immunity?
Active Immunity - body makes its own antibodies (chemicals that stop a germ) once it has been exposed to the germ
Vaccine
Take a virus or other germ and destroy or weaken its nucleic acid.
Why do we want to do this?
You can alter the DNA of the germ by using chemicals, radiation or growing it in a different host.
Why are you asked if you are allergic to eggs before you get a flu shot?
Leave the protein coat undamaged.
Why?

9. Inject this mixture (the vaccine) into humans or other animals.
Your body responds as if you had the disease and you form memory cells for this disease.
Why don’t you get this disease?
Next time host is exposed to the pathogen, the body will recognize and destroy pathogen before the disease affects the body.
Why can you fight it off so fast?

10. How Acquired Immunity Works in a Group
Typically, 95% of the group (population) needs to be immunized to prevent the spread of a disease

11. Herd Immunity
Herd immunity means that since many people in a group, or “herd,” are vaccinated against a disease, the few people in the group who aren’t immunized also get protection from the illness.
Babies under 1 year old and people that have problems with their immune systems cannot get vaccines, so herd immunity protects them.
The disease won’t spread in the group since most people can’t catch it.

12. Crime and Ice Cream
From New York to Chicago, there is a relationship between violent crime rates and ice cream sales. Egad!
Does eating ice cream turn a harmless person into a murderer?!?
Maybe people that are lactose intolerant are more likely to be killers!
Maybe lots of money made from ice cream sales promotes organized crime!
Or, perhaps it is just a correlation.
correlation = the degree to which two groups of numbers tend to go together
In this case, another variable, temperature has been shown to influence ice cream sales and violent crimes.
So, a correlation does not mean that variable A causes variable B. Another variable may be influencing both or, it may be completely coincidental.

13. Examples of correlations that are not causations

14. Correlation vs. Causation
humans look for patterns and tend to gather information that supports preexisting views
humans often confuse coincidence with correlation and correlation with causation
scientists must carefully design experiments and conclude that “A causes B” only if they know they’ve controlled all but the one variable they are testing

15. Vaccination & Autism Correlation
A great example of a bad correlation that swayed public opinion can be seen with vaccinations and autism
The medical community debunked his paper that inspired the idea and his medical license was revoked.
The idea that that measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations are causally linked to autism spectrum disorders was made popular by celebrities based upon a study by one doctor, Andrew Wakefield, in 1998.

16. Not a harmless misunderstanding
2011, 13% of parents skipped or delayed their children's vaccinations
in some rural areas, between 20-50%
15 years after this correllation was published, outbreaks of whooping cough and measles began
Despite many studies showing no causal link, some parents today remain fearful of an autism connection.
Research shows the correlation between vaccinations and autism is a coincidental correlation only, no more valid than saying a decrease of number of pirates is causing global warming.
Severe side effects from vaccines - less than 1 out of a million doses

17. Scientific Method, Dr. Wakefield
Elissa

18. Current Outbreak
A person with measles visits Disneyland on or about Dec , 2014.
Measles cases appear in Orange County in late December/early January.
Linked to Disneyland visits
2. 1/20/ cases in OC.
24 high school students quarantined for 3 weeks (HBHS)

19. Measles cases linked to Disneyland.

20. Current Outbreak
3. 1/22/ cases in CA, Mexico, and 4 other states
4. 1/27/ cases - 6 states & Mexico
5. 2/6/ cases - 17 states & Mexico
85% linked to Disneyland
6. 2/12/ cases linked to Disneyland - 17 states, Mexico & Canada

21. Current Outbreak 7. 2/20/15 - 141 cases - 17 states, Mexico & Canada
8. 2/24/15 - No new cases in Orange County