Measles in Ethiopia, Kenya, add to number of 2011 outbreaks

AP

(CBS/AP) A massive measles outbreak has been reported in Kenya and Ethiopia, according the United Nations. This latest report adds to the growing list of measles cases the world has seen this year.

PICTURES: Measles: 7 things parents must know

Marixie Mercado, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, said Friday that at least 17,584 people have contracted measles, and 114 have died in Ethiopia this year. A World Health Organization estimate says 2 million Ethiopian children are at risk for contracting the potentially deadly disease.

WHO spokesman Tarek Jasarevic also said at least 462 cases of measles, including 11 deaths, have been confirmed among Somali refugee children in the Kenyan refugee complex known as Dadaab.

The international health body has warned that poor sanitation and constant movement in overcrowded camps and towns, due to drought and violence in East Africa, also increases the risk of other disease outbreaks including cholera, and typhoid fever.

Cases of measles have also popped up in the U.S. this year, where the disease was thought to be eradicated in 2000.

In May the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 118 cases of measles in the U.S. that were most likely caused by a combination of travelers from Europe and vaccine fears that permeate the country. Earlier this year, a measles outbreak hit 33 European countries, infecting tens of thousands of people.

"These outbreaks are due in significant part to children not getting vaccinated," Seth Mnookin, author of "The Panic Virus," said at the time about the increase in U.S. measles cases. "Some parents think the measles vaccine can cause autism, and some just have a general unease about vaccines."

Measles is an extremely contagious disease that spreads through infected air droplets that can linger for up to two hours in closed spaces. It typically causes rashes, fever, muscle pain, pink eye, and sore throat. Vaccines prevent the disease, but there is no treatment besides bed rest and pain medication. Measles can also lead to potentially fatal complications like pneumonia or encephalitis.

Click here to see HealthPop's coverage of Measles outbreaks in 2011.

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Measles: 7 things parents must know

[Vaccination_saves_lives]

Wow, didn't take long for the conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccine nutjobs to show up.

So, to address the issues raised:
Maggy9 - Big deal, you're a "measles survivor." I know car crash survivors, and yet I wouldn't advocate car crashes as safe. Those who die don't end up posting about it.

ascienski - vaccinated people don't cause measles outbreaks. If you look up the outbreaks, you'll find that they are caused by non-vaccinated people. e.g., http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/cost-vaccine-refusal/

amdachel - I always expect grabage arguments from AoA. The antivaccine position you take is a luxury that you have thanks to the widespread use of vaccines. Hint - using emotional outbursts from parents isn't a way to discuss things rationally. The experts have made the case for the safety of vaccines numerous times - the "experts" on the anti-vaccine side are folks like Andrew Wakefield, faking data and being paid to do so by lawyers looking to sue drug companies.

maurine9 - You list side effects like they are common occurances, or like you think that they actually are caused by the vaccines. It's a fallacy to think that it's just clean water that is needed to prevent disease - for some diseases one could make the argument that sanitation plays a big role (cholera, for example), but you know nothing about measles if you think clean drinking water and healthy food are what will prevent disease. As for your point about having survived, nobody who doesn't survive is around to argue with you. You know what we have that beats your personal anecdote?

Data. Statistics. Science.

[maurine9]

Well, hey, vaccines can cause encephalopathy, inflammatory bowel disease, oxidative stress, immune dysfunction, food allergies--and on out the door. They can make almost 2 percent of the young boys in this country ill. With this being the case, why would anyone in this country worry about the measles? I had em, as did my sisters, my friends, my school mates,--we are still alive and well to talk about it. The third world countries need healthy food, clean water good sanitation to keep disease away--not vaccines. Seth Mnookin, himself, is a fatal complication to making vaccines safe.
Maurine meleck SC

[ascienski]

Reality tells a different story, however: It is the vaccinated people who are causing these outbreaks and spreading disease!

Just this week, an outbreak of mumps among more than 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York has raised alarm among infectious disease authorities. The outbreak itself is not unusual, though. What's unusual is that the health authorities slipped up and admitted that most of the people infected with mumps had already been vaccinated against mumps.




Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/028142_mumps_vaccines.html#ixzz1SChEDUBR

[Maggy9]

I'm confused Ryan. Do you work for CBS news or a drug company? The reason I ask is your articles seem more like drug (vaccine) infomercials than actual news stories. How many times have you tried to scare us about measles this year? As a measles survivor, I can tell you it was hard to stay home from elementary school for 4 whole days!