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Cause of Disease
1.​ What are the causes of this disease? Describe any predisposing factor if applicable.

•Measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads through the air when an
infected person coughs or sneezes. A cough or sneeze releases thousands of microscopic
particles that contain the virus. They can stay in the air, able to infect people, for up to 2 hours.
In some cases, people have caught measles after entering a room that an infected person has
already left.

measles can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine.

Risk factors include:

●​ Being unvaccinated. If you haven't received the vaccine for measles, you're much
more likely to develop the disease.
●​ Traveling internationally. If you travel to developing countries, where measles is
more common, you're at higher risk of catching the disease.
●​ Having a vitamin A deficiency. If you don't have enough vitamin A in your diet,
you're more likely to have more-severe symptoms and complications.

History: How has our understanding of the diseases developed over time?
1.​ Describe the changes in our knowledge and attitudes toward this disease throughout
history.

In 1954 the virus that causes measles was isolated in Boston, Massachusetts, by John F.
Enders and Thomas C. Peebles.

The vaccine was first licensed in the United States in 1963.

It was between 1985 and 1988 that researchers found that many measles cases had
occurred in children who had been vaccinated with the measles vaccine. This was
particularly noted in children who received only one dose. So they did a booster shot to
protect the children better.

•Francis Home, a Scottish physician, demonstrated in 1757 that measles is caused by an

infectious agent in the blood of patients.

•In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring
U.S. healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases.
 2.​ Who discovered the disease?

A Persian physician named Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi was credited for the
discovery of measles as a different disease from chickenpox and smallpox. He lived from
860 to 932. He published a book written in Arabic entitled “The Book of Smallpox and
Measles.” Before that, a similar disease was already found some time in between 165
and 180 A.D. However, people were unsure whether that disease was measles or
smallpox.

3.​ How long have we known about this disease?

In the 9th century, a Persian doctor published one of the first written accounts of
measles disease.

4.​ How has our understanding of the diseases developed over time? Discuss major shifts in
our understanding of the disease since it was discovered.

Epidemiology: Describe the prevalence of the disease

1.​ Where (in the world; be specific) is the disease prevalent?

Measles remains a common disease in many parts of the world, including areas in
Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa.

Nearly half of the U.S. patients were unvaccinated preschool children living in urban areas.

2.​ How many people have this disease?

 3.​ What are the rates of morbidity and mortality?

Measles is one of the most devastating infectious diseases for humans and has caused millions
of death worldwide each year before introduction of measles vaccine (MV). China as a
developing country, the morbidity of measles was 1145.75/ 100,000 before using MV in 1967.

Pathology: Describe the pathogenic effects on cells, tissues, and organ systems.
1.​ Where in the body (what tissues/organs/cells) does the disease impact?

The measles rash typically begins on the forehead and extends down across the face,
neck, and body.

primarily an infection of the respiratory system.

Most deaths from measles in the United States are caused by pneumonia, either from the
measles virus itself or from a bacterial infection that arises as a complication of measles.

2.​ What damage does this disease have on the body?

high fever, peeling of the skin, and encephalitis leading to brain damage. "The problem is
children die from complications of measles such as pneumonia, diarrhea, brain damage, or
suffer from blindness.

3.​ What is the time sequence of the disease (length of incubation, prodrome, illness,
decline, and convalescence)? Are there sequelae?
 Incubation: 10-14 days the virus grows in the back of throat and lungs

Prodrome: 3 to 4 days characterized by fever, conjunctivitis, and cough.

Illness: day 4 - 8 person is contagious on day 10

Decline: day 19-24

Convalescence: day 18 person stops being contagious

4.​ What are the major signs and symptoms?

●​ Fever
●​ Dry cough
●​ Runny nose
●​ Sore throat
●​ Inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis)
●​ Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the
mouth on the inner lining of the cheek — also called Koplik's spots
●​ A skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another

Response and Treatment

1.​ Describe the activity of our immune system against the disease.

Our immune system is weakened because the disease destroys, immune system cells
called B-cells and T-cells. Both types of cells are vital to the body’s defense against
disease.

2.​ What types of medical treatments exist? Describe how these treatments affect the
progression of the disease.

There’s no specific treatment. However. . Non Immunized people, including infants, may
be given the measles vaccination within 72 hours of exposure to the measles virus to
provide protection against the disease.

Immune serum globulin- can prevent measles or make symptoms less severe.
 Fever reducers. to help relieve the fever that accompanies measles.

Antibiotics. If a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia or an ear infection, develops

while you or your child has measles,

Vitamin A. Children with low levels of vitamin A are more likely to have a more severe
case of measles. Giving vitamin A may lessen the severity of the measles.

3.​ Describe prophylactic measures that can be taken to limit the risk of this disease.

Getting vaccinated against measles. It is 97% effective at preventing it. It’s considered safe to
use on mostly anyone

Extending Your Thinking

FUN FACT: People with immune diseases such as AIDS should not take the vaccine, as the
chances of developing symptoms are much higher for them than the general population.

What are the pros and cons of the MMR vaccination?

Pros: vaccination protects against the disease.

It saves lives, especially the lives of little children.

Cons: mild symptoms of measles appear in a small percentage of vaccine recipients.

A few people who get two doses of MMR vaccine may still get measles, mumps, or rubella if
they are exposed to the viruses that cause these diseases.

If measles is eliminated, why do people still get it in the United States?

Every year, unvaccinated travelers (Americans or foreign visitors) get measles while they are in
other countries and bring measles into the United States. They can spread measles to other
people who are not protected against measles, which sometimes leads to outbreaks.

1.​ Based on your research, what do you predict that the future threat of this disease will
be? That is, to what degree will this disease continue (or not continue) to affect the
health of humans?

Based on my research, I have concluded that the future of measles will be... either: it will be
completely eliminated but of course it won’t be easy because the only way to prevent it from
what I’ve seen is getting vaccinated and there are plenty of people who are against it. We can
change their views by educating them more about the vaccines and the advantages included.
The other thing that I think may happen is that it will be worse and people will die because of
how easily people are influenced by the media and fake news regarding the MMR vaccine and
its “link” to autism and bowel disease. Of course I can’t predict the future so it’s all a matter of
time. Overall, I think that it will continue to affect the health of humans since it’s still going
around even now after that many years of existence.