Eliminating Measles in Southern Africa

Case 17



Jacksonville University

Overview

An outbreak of measles last year in South Africa began, all the provinces in the country, including the Western Cape. (Fall et al. 2009) Measles is a viral infection characterized by a cough, runny nose, fever and an irregular red rash that several days after the initial symptoms appeared. The disease is most serious for in malnourished children under the age of one year old. In South Africa contributes preventable infectious diseases greatly to child mortality and poor health status of children and young people. The government has from the outset emphasized the importance of immunization and Mass campaigns pick was launched to ensure that children nationwide vaccinated against diseases like polio , measles , tetanus, rubella , diphtheria and hepatitis B. But by 2000, only 63 percent of all children before their first birthday fully immunized, mainly due to a shortage of vaccines and a variety of other problems. Guidelines and objectives is laid to ensure that South Africa, like other members of the World Health Organization, contribute to the eradication of polio and measles through immunization. Another important goal is the full immunization of 90 percent of annuals from 2003.

In 2003, 610,000 children died from measles. Why? If a good vaccine exists, what are the factors that limit immunization in many countries in Africa and South Asia?

In 2003, 610,000 children died from measles because of the due to large-scale vaccination campaigns in several other regions, the entire American continent, are practically eliminated, which is possible because man is the sole owner of the measles virus. 2001 the WHO and UNICEF, a plan with the aim to halve the mortality rate in children through worldwide vaccination programs until 2005. The measles virus transmission occurs by direct contact or infected droplets from someone who is sick, who remains infectious three to five days before the rash appears until four days later. The virus enters the epithelial cells of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, such as the oropharynx or, less frequently in the conjunctiva of the eye . The virus reaches the local lymphoid tissue and reticuloendothelial within 48 hours: tonsils , adenoids , thymus , spleen , etc.. and the rest of the upper respiratory tract, where it reproduces causing asymptomatic initial viremia during the first 4 days of infection. This is usually accompanied by a brief appearance of virus in the blood. (Hersh , et. al 2009) After about 5-7 days there is a second viremia, with subsequent infection of the skin and airways. On the tenth day of infection starts host immune response and production of interferon , which progressively decrease viremia, and the rash appears rash and other symptoms characteristic as cough and bronchitis acute exanthematous that define the period of the disease. The measles virus is spread by droplets from coughing suspended in the air. It can also spread by direct contact with secretions from the nose or throat of infected people. Virus and ejected remains dangerous for ...