NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2018 - 32

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Hepatitis B virus and Human Papillomavirus are unique among vaccine-preventable
Measles virus infection causes high fever - as high as 105 degrees illnesses because they are a major cause of
- cough, red eyes, and a classic rash. It is highly contagious. About cancer in adults. Every year approximately
one in every thousand people who get measles will get encephalitis, 17,500 women and 9,300 men in the U.S.
an inflammation of the brain, which often causes lifelong damage. get diagnosed with cancers caused by HPV.
One or two in every thousand people with measles will die from The most well-known cancer it causes is
cervical cancer in women. It's estimated
respiratory or neurologic complications.
that the current HPV vaccine used in early
adolescent girls and boys will prevent 90%
especially in young infants, which puts them at grave risk if the
of those cancers if vaccine rates get high enough. Hepatitis B
children around them aren't immunized. There are children born
virus causes an infection of the liver. Symptoms of acute infection
with immune system deficiencies and immunizations often don't
include vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice (a yellow coloring of the
work in them and can't protect them. Also, children on various
skin). Some patients, both children and adults, who get acutely
strong medications, such as chemotherapy for cancer, can't be
infected progress to chronic hepatitis B infection which lasts for
immunized . Overall, the more healthy children get immunized,
years and eventually can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. This
the more we protect them, the adults and small children in their
causes about 1800 deaths annually in the U.S.
lives, and any vulnerable children they come in contact with.
Influenza (Flu virus) is an annually occurring illness that
It can be hard for parents to realize how important immunization
sweeps across the globe during the midwinter months in each
is for their children because many don't have firsthand knowledge
hemisphere. Because the virus mutates (changes) every year and
of the diseases vaccines prevent. This article is too short to describe
the vaccine only gives immunity for about 6 months, immuniall the illnesses that childhood vaccines can prevent, but we can
zation against the flu must occur yearly. Influenza virus causes
highlight some of the most important ones. Measles virus infection
fever, cough, headache, muscle aches and fatigue. It sometimes
causes high fever - as high as 105 degrees - cough, red eyes, and
causes vomiting and diarrhea, more often in children than in
a classic rash. It is highly contagious. About one in every thousand
adults. Although there are antiviral medications to combat the
people who get measles will get encephalitis, an inflammation
flu, they aren't as effective as we'd like them to be, especially in
of the brain, which often causes lifelong damage. One or two in
young children, people with underlying diseases, and the elderly,
every thousand people with measles will die from respiratory or
all of whom are at particular risk of getting seriously ill from the
neurologic complications. Prior to routine measles vaccination
flu. Every year, about 100 children in the United States die from
in the United States, which began in the early 1960s, millions of
influenza infection as do thousands of adults.
children got measles annually and about 500 children died of it
every year in the U.S.A. Even today in countries too poor to afford
Despite the knowledge that immunizations can be protecvaccines, or with an underdeveloped medical care system, 115,000
tive against terrible diseases, many parents are worried about
children die yearly of the measles. Measles has been eradicated in
potential side effects, both short and long term, of vaccines
the United States due to vaccination, but outbreaks still occur when
and can therefore be reluctant to get their children immunized.
measles is brought back to the U.S. by travelers coming home or
As with any medication given to millions of patients annually,
by people who've caught measles in their home country coming to
side effects to vaccines do occur. Most adverse vaccine reacthe U.S. to visit. These outbreaks can spread quickly and become
tions are mild and self limited. Redness, swelling or pain at the
deadly in areas where immunization rates are lower than advised.
site of injection (usually the anterior thigh in children under
Rubella virus, or German Measles, is also highly contagious but
it causes a generally milder illness with fever, sore throat and a
rash. Its true danger is to infants in the womb. If a pregnant woman
gets Rubella, the infant can die in the womb, or shortly after birth.
The infant is also at risk for congenital rubella syndrome, which
can cause deafness, heart and brain defects, and glaucoma. There
is no cure for congenital rubella syndrome. Before routine vaccination against rubella, which began in 1969 in the United States,
rubella epidemics were relatively common. In the last epidemic
(1964-1965) an estimated 12 million people got rubella; 11,000
women lost their babies in utero; 2,100 died at birth; and 20,000
were born with congenital rubella syndrome. Currently only about
10 people get rubella yearly in the U.S., and those cases are all in
patients who contracted the disease outside the U.S.
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