Page 24
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 5
Measles, Why All the Fuss?
By Dr. David Lange, Genesis Primary Care September 2025 Here we go again. Folks are talking about another out- break of measles. Appar- ently driven by the unvacci- nated. This once
instead of being at work producing their “widgets.” But there are some real complications that may affect those who contract the disease. While the vast majority of illnesses resolve without issue, complications do hap- pen. I reviewed “old material” hoping
thousand cases) mortality rate, so it would appear that we have gotten better at supportive care. Common complications include a secondary bacterial pneumonia, en- cephalitis, ear infections and diar-
to speculate that the overall better nutrition achieved during the past 60 years has made a difference in this disease as well. How much is hard to quantify since several variables have been manipulated during this time frame. The main focus with measles has been to prevent it through vaccina- tion. I do not have enough space to discuss any of the controversial is- sues surrounding vaccines. Others have done a fine job and I encourage the reader to seek out this informa- tion. If there are questions, seek out a physician who is willing to review the information that you have found and truly review it and discuss it with you. I know there are others in healthcare who have strong, and likely well founded positions about vaccines, but having a rational dis- course with someone who may not share your opinion will increase both of your knowledge bases and solidify your decision. There is a stand alone vaccine for those who are concerned about the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) or MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella) vaccines. Two doses are currently recommended, one at 15-18 months of age and one before enter- ing kindergarten. For most children who get measles, it is a fairly mild illness that looks re- ally scary because of the rash. But the fuss is that measles is far more than a simple cold for some children, with very real and very serious com- plications in a group of patients that normally do very well with illness. Do your best to be healthy with a diet having a variety of fresh foods. Keep your vitamins up. Encourage the kids to play, like outside and not video games. Maybe I can finish my career in medicine without ever seeing a case of measles. GenesisPrimaryCare.com Please see the display ad on Page 20 of this issue of Wisconsin Christian News).
ubiquitous viral illness has been rel- egated to history, or so we were told when I was in training many years ago. I must admit, I don’t think I have ever seen an actual case of measles, even as a child. So other than vilifying the unvaccinated why does the Med- ical Industrial Complex make such big deal out this illness? There are 6 classically numbered childhood illness, First through Sixth Disease. All have their causative agents which have been isolated and reasonably well characterized and other than Fifth Disease this nomen- clature has been abandoned. In this scheme, measles (rubeola) was First Disease. It has been described for mil- lennia. Normally it is a seasonal infec- tion with late winter or spring outbreaks and historically, epidemics every 2-3 years. It is droplet spread and not airborne, so unlike some other viral illnesses recently in the news, masks may actually help to re- duce the spread. Early symptoms in- clude high fever, profuse runny nose and congestion, sneezing, conjunc- tivitis and cough. It is highly conta- gious. There is a short incubation period after exposure before these symptoms start. The rash starts 2-4 days after the symptoms start. Full recovery should be about 10-14 days after the rash appears. Back to the question, “Why all the fuss?” I suspect there is ample room for speculation as to the foundation for the concern. Financial has to be considered, whether for the pharma- ceutical industry, the medical indus- try or big corporations who have their workers out attending to ill children
to find less modern bias, but I also looked at more recent information to see what may have changed since my textbooks were written (stone tablet age after all). As numbers, statistics seem like they should be infallible, but there is substantial room for interpretation of these numbers. The number of measles cases was on the decline be- fore the vaccine was introduced. As I look at the change in case reports, there is a very steep decline after the vaccine is introduced, more than the rate of change before the introduc- tion. Is this evidence of “A” caused “B?” Both the vaccinated and unvac- cinated get measles. While it is more common in the unvaccinated, the proportion is 75:25, but varies con- siderably by age. The CDC reports that the worst year of the 21st Century was 2014 with 667 cases. In most years, there are less than 100 reported cases. The last reported death in the US was in 2015. My textbooks quoted a 0.3% (3 in a
rhea. Probably the scariest number though is that 1 in 4 are hospitalized for the infection. Once the infection is recognized, the only real treatment is supportive: hydration, fever control, antibiotics for bacterial infections, etc. The deaths and hospitalizations seem to be mostly from the secondary complications and not simply be- cause of the virus. All of this is real cost to society. There is more to the reduction or elimination of this illness than simply padding the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry. There is no specific treatment for measles, but there seems to be rea- sonable evidence that having ade- quate Vitamin A is important for both treatment and prevention of severe measles. When someone becomes in- fected with this virus, and likely sev- eral others, Vitamin A levels drop. If there is not enough Vitamin A in re- serve, the immune system cannot work effectively against the virus. The protocol has been to give a couple of doses of Vitamin A as soon as the in- fection is recognized. It is reasonable
WCN TV is Where We Meet! Join other Wisconsin Christian News readers and supporters for our weekly internet TV broadcast. Talk together, discuss the issues and meet some great guests!
We are LIVE every Tuesday from 5- 6 pm CENTRAL TIME. Just go to WCNTV.net and click on “Join the Studio Audience” and you can join our group discussion. Forsake NOT the assembling of yourselves together with like-minded WCN readers and supporters! You’ll meet some great people, and get a chance to speak with, ask questions of and comment to our GREAT guests that we have lined up for you each week. (You can also watch previous episodes any time at WCNTV.net or on our Rumble.com page — just search for WCN TV on Rumble!). But to join the discussion, you’ll need to “Join the Studio Audience” at WCNTV.net . See you there!
TO JOIN THE GROUP AND PARTICIPATE, click on “Join the Studio Audience” when we’re live, at: WCNTV.net
Made with FlippingBook Converter PDF to HTML5