6 measles cases in Minn.; more expected

[Shadow]

MINNEAPOLIS — State health officials have confirmed six cases of juvenile measles this month in Hennepin County and caution more could be on the way in areas where parents have been reluctant to vaccinate their kids.

The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed the fifth and sixth cases on Friday. Three of the kids are from the Somali community, where some parents have been afraid to immunize their children over fears of the vaccine's safety.

Health officials are racing to ease those fears and persuade parents to get their kids vaccinated.

"Contrary to misinformation that may still be circulating, the measles vaccine is safe and effective. Without it, the risk of disease is real," said Dr. Edward Ehlinger, the commissioner of the state health department. "Children can die from measles."

The health department first reported two weeks ago that it was investigating a case of measles in a Minneapolis infant. It reported three more cases Thursday and two more Friday.

6 measles cases in Minn.; more expected - Health - Infectious diseases - msnbc.com

 

[Mr. H.]

I thought such vaccinations were manditory.

 

[Shadow]

Apparently they are not. Here is another article talking about Measles cases being on the rise in the US..

Snip...

Measles Prevention

Vaccination is the best prevention, and maintaining high vaccine coverage rates affords herd immunity, which decreases risk for exposure and protects those who cannot be vaccinated.3 Of the 131 measles cases reported in 2008, 91% did not receive vaccination or could not have their vaccination status verified. Of these patients, 66% went unvaccinated because of philosophical or religious beliefs.



U.S. Measles Cases on the Rise

U.S. Measles Cases on the Rise on ADVANCE for NPs & PAs

 

[Annie]

It's amazed me that 'the most concerned and among the most educated of parents' bought into the hoax of Wakefield and The Lancet. Ignorance can be the only excuse because the medical community has been warning of the inevitability of breakouts and resulting deaths for years:

David Ropeik: Wakefield Debunked, But Vaccine Fear Lives

 

[editec]

You younger generations are wimps.

Measles?

We boomers all got them.

And those of us who survived are now sweating out getting Shingles in our dotage.

Suffering like that builds character.

 

[Zoom-boing]

You younger generations are wimps.

Measles?

We boomers all got them.

And those of us who survived are now sweating out getting Shingles in our dotage.

Suffering like that builds character.

Shingles is caused by the virus that causes chicken pox, not measles.

 

[Zoom-boing]

I thought such vaccinations were manditory.

No, you can get exemptions for it. Just sign the form and if an outbreak occurs you have to yank your kid from school. It may vary from state to state so you'd have to check.

We never had our youngest receive any vaccinations after she was 5. She never received whatever they require to enter kindergarten or any other shots they require I think in 7th grade? Because her older brother was dx'd in the autism spectrum and at the time we didn't know if vaccinations were part of the problem or not we decided to have her titers checked first, before making any decisions. Turns out she was fully vaccinated for everything except I think whooping cough, which showed she was vaccination but not as fully as everything else. (Hope that made sense). I asked the doctor if she received the required shots would she be any more protected, any more 'vaccinated' if you will. The doc's answer? Nope. So we didn't do anything.

In light of the whole vaccination thing being debunked we're thinking about having her get those shots now but would again have her titers checked first. I mean, she received however many vaccinations prior to age five . . . I've never received any vaccinations since I was that age (and that was a loooong time ago) . . . are we both still protected?

I don't have a problem with vaccinations per se, but I do have a problem with so many being administered all before age two. I don't know how well a brand new human babby can handle all of that, so much is still developing in them .,.. it makes sense to me but maybe it's just ridiculous thinking on my part . . . . ? If I knew then what I know now I'd likely still have my kids vaccinated but have them spread out further and wouldn't ever start the vaccinations until a later age . . . possibly starting around 18 months or so.

 

[Mr. H.]

Daughter will be attending a summer arts school with a large international student pop. They've got some strict requirements re: vaccinations. We were freaking at the thought of her getting several shots at once, but were relieved to find out the only one she never had was the meningitis. That one is usually given before they go off to college, so she'll likely need another in a few years.

BTW Z-B... that avatar... giving me flashbacks. Make it stop!

 

[Zoom-boing]

Daughter will be attending a summer arts school with a large international student pop. They've got some strict requirements re: vaccinations. We were freaking at the thought of her getting several shots at once, but were relieved to find out the only one she never had was the meningitis. That one is usually given before they go off to college, so she'll likely need another in a few years.

BTW Z-B... that avatar... giving me flashbacks. Make it stop!

We didn't do the meningitis one either (for the college kid). I read the info and the chances of getting it were so so small and there are always risks involved with vaccinations so . . . for now, it's a no.

My avi was only used so I could use the tag line under my user name. It's from Denis Leary's character in Rescue Me. His character is such a cynical asssshole . . . I love it!

 

[FuelRod]

I bet you were just "itchin'" to start this thread.

 

[waltky]

Thought measles was eradicated in the U.S.? Think again...

US on track for most measles cases in a decade
5 May`11 - Most outbreaks linked to other countries, including Europe; risk of infection 'very high,' expert says

The United States seems to be on track to have more measles cases than any year in more than a decade, with virtually all cases linked to other countries, including Europe where there's a big outbreak. Already there have been 89 cases reported so far. The U.S. normally sees only about 50 cases of measles in a year thanks to vaccinations. Health officials are reluctant to make predictions, but acknowledge the pace of reports is unusually hot.

"It's hard to say, but we're certainly getting a lot," said Dr. Greg Wallace, who leads the measles, mumps, rubella and polio team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Europe, especially France, has been hit hard by measles, with more than 6,500 cases reported in 33 nations. International health officials are blaming it on the failure to vaccinate all children.

Just about all U.S. outbreaks were sparked by people bringing it here from other countries. This week, international health officials posted an alert urging travelers everywhere to get the recommended two doses of vaccine before flying overseas. "The risk of getting infection is very high," said Dr. Cuauhtemoc Ruiz Matus, an immunization expert with the Pan American Health Organization.

In the U.S., the worst year for measles in the last decade was 2008, when 140 cases were reported. There have been no measles deaths this year, but health officials warn the disease can be dangerous. Measles is highly contagious and up to 90 percent of people exposed to an infected person get sick, experts say. The virus spreads easily through the air, and in closed rooms, infected droplets can linger for up to two hours after the sick person leaves.

More US on track for most measles cases in a decade - Health - Infectious diseases - msnbc.com

 

[waltky]

Minnesota is struggling with the biggest outbreak of measles in the state since 1990...

VOA Somali Town Hall Discusses Somali Measles Outbreak in US
July 08, 2017 - Voice of America's Somali service hosted a town hall Saturday in Minnesota, home to a large Somali-American population, to discuss a recent outbreak of measles in the state, and address rumors in the community surrounding childhood vaccines and autism.

The northern U.S. state of Minnesota is struggling with the biggest outbreak of measles in the state since 1990. Seventy-eight people caught the disease, mostly Somali-Americans, and nearly a third were hospitalized. The panel, gathered to address concerns of parents, consisted of four Minnesota health officials, two of whom have children who have been diagnosed with autism. The town hall event, called Vaccine and Autism: Myths and Facts, was broadcast from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. It could be watched on VOA Somali's Facebook page and YouTube channel. Facebook API failed to initialize. Three audience members who addressed the panel raised questions regarding what they saw as a link between having their children vaccinated and those children later being diagnosed as autistic.

'Powerful coincidence'

Panelist Dr. Mark Schleiss, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, addressed one parent's concerns by saying the link is a "powerful coincidence." "One of the challenges we have faced for many, many years is one of these disorders [autism] becomes apparent to parents about the time we give the vaccine to children," Schleiss said. He called it a "powerful coincidence" that the signs of autism start to appear about the same age as when children receive some of their vaccinations. And "parents say there must be some timing to this," he added. One Somali father said he took his child, whom he described as developing normally for his age, to receive his childhood vaccinations in 2004. He said the child had a seizure after the vaccination and months later was diagnosed with autism. "It was the first time I heard the word," the father said.

A vial of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and an information sheet is seen at Boston Children's Hospital in Boston​

Panelist Deeqa-Ifrah Hussein, the mother of an autistic child, is the founder of Parent's Autism Educational Resources. She said both of her children have received vaccinations. It was when she took her younger child, a son, for an 18-month checkup that she began to see the signs of autistic behavior. She told the audience that she did not relate the developmental signs to the child's vaccinations. At one time, Minnesota's Somali-American community — about 25,000 who live in Minneapolis and St. Paul and other surrounding cities — had the highest rates of vaccinations against measles, more than any other group in the state.

Patsy Stinchfield, a nurse in Minnesota, said she blamed the state’s measles outbreak on anti-vaccination groups. Anti-vaccination groups believe that vaccines expose children to health risks and can cause harm, and have said that autism is caused by vaccinating children younger than 3. “I would say almost exclusively the whole responsibility lands on the anti-vaccine movement,” she said to VOA via Skype, “and the reason is misinformation and myths spread about a link between MMR and autism, of which there is none, and science has proven that not to be true." So while Somali-American parents continued getting their children vaccinated for other diseases, officials said the rates for receiving the MMR vaccine dropped dramatically.

Public outreach, community involvement

See also:

Minnesota’s Measles Outbreak Looks to Be Tapering Off[/b[
July 07, 2017 | WASHINGTON — The state of Minnesota is battling the biggest outbreak of measles since 1990, and state health officials are hoping it is tapering off. Seventy-eight people caught the disease, mostly Somali-Americans, and nearly a third were hospitalized.

The Somali-American community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is tight-knit. At one time, they had the highest rates of vaccinations against measles than any other group in the state until they heard this: “Autism is caused by vaccines administered (to those) under 3 years of life.” Anti-vaccination groups believe that vaccines expose children to health risks and can cause harm, and they convinced Somali-Americans in Minneapolis that the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), caused autism. So while they continued getting their children vaccinated for everything else, the rates for this particular vaccine dropped dramatically.

Patsy Stinchfield is a nurse in Minnesota. She blames the state’s measles outbreak on anti-vaccination groups. “I would say almost exclusively the whole responsibility lands on the anti-vaccine movement,” she said, “and the reason is misinformation and myths spread about a link between MMR and autism, of which there is none, and science has proven that not to be true,” she added. She spoke to VOA via Skype. Since March, Stinchfield has been at the forefront of Minnesota’s measles outbreak. She says the Somali-Americans came together fast to hold community meetings where doctors could talk about the safety and effectiveness of the measles vaccine.

Amira Hassan, of Burnsville, Minnesota, plays in the waiting room at the specialty clinic at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota​

Since then, they have been getting to clinics to get their children vaccinated. “Since the outbreak, the message has gotten out that measles, mumps, rubella vaccine is safe,” Stinchfield said. “It’s effective, and typically in a week in Hennepin County, which is the Minneapolis county, there would be 500 MMRs given, and for three weeks in a row, there were 3,000 MMRs given for three weeks in a row, so that is a tremendous response.” Stinchfield said measles took the Somali-Americas by surprise. “They did not think that measles would be in the United States,” she said, “and so the level of fear was greater for autism. This has now shifted, because the level of fear and the level of fear for measles is great because these families know measles. They’ve had loved ones die of measles in Somalia.”

Measles was wiped out in the U.S. 17 years ago, but outbreaks still happen when someone carries the virus back from a country where measles still circulates. Fortunately, no one who caught measles in Minnesota had any serious complications, and state officials are hoping to declare the outbreak over by the end of July.

Minnesota’s Measles Outbreak Looks to Be Tapering Off