If measles was previously classified purely as a “childhood disease”, today people who have not been vaccinated or who have lost their immunity to measles are at risk, regardless of age. In addition, children under 5-6 years of age, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, medical, trade and education workers and people who have daily contact with many potentially infected people represent a special risk group. Marina Khokonova, pediatrician at GUTA CLINICS, told socialbites.ca about this.
According to the expert, measles is a highly contagious disease transmitted by airborne droplets. At the same time, clinical manifestations begin with the usual symptoms of SARS in the form of cough, runny nose, fever up to 39 ° C, conjunctivitis, characteristic whitish spots in the oral cavity surrounded by a red border. Then the symptoms of intoxication increase with headache, swelling of the eyelids, photophobia. In addition, a maculopapular rash appears in stages, starting on the face and ears and spreading downward.
“When an unvaccinated or unvaccinated person comes into contact with a person with measles, the probability of transmission approaches 95-100%. At the same time, measles is dangerous not in terms of the course of the disease, but in terms of complications caused by the pathogen. The most common of these are pneumonia, otitis media with risk of hearing loss, encephalitis, hepatitis, thrombocytopenic purpura, myocarditis in adults, conjunctivitis with damage to the eye cornea, and glomerulonephritis,” warned doctor Marina Khokonova.
He noted that one of the slowest and most insidious complications of measles is subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which can develop 7-10 years after infection as a result of the long persistence of the measles virus in the CNS.
“This disease also causes mental deterioration, severe neurological and respiratory disorders with convulsions and convulsions. And unfortunately, measles is almost always accompanied by a fatal outcome as a result of complications. Remission can be achieved in single patients, but this is a temporary improvement,” said the pediatrician.
At the same time, according to the doctor, there is the only effective method of preventing and protecting against measles – vaccination. For children under six years of age, vaccination is carried out twice: at 12 months and at 6 years old. If there is no information about vaccination or no antibodies in an unvaccinated and previously ill adult, vaccination is required twice.
A single vaccination is 93-95% effective. Previously vaccinated adults can be tested for measles antibody serology. Emergency vaccination is also possible after contact with the patient within 72 hours.
“There are no other reliable preventive measures. However, one should not forget about non-specific measures, such as compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, thorough ventilation of rooms, vitaminization prescribed by the doctor, rational nutrition with a predominance of proteins and polyunsaturated fats in the diet, and avoidance of hypothermia. ” the expert Khokonova concluded.
Former infectious disease specialist Pozdnyakov declarationThere will be no measles epidemic in Russia.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.