5/16/2019 1 Comment What You need to know about measlesAfter a 19 year absence, measles has made a comeback in the United States. The highly-contagious disease was last seen in America in 2000 but more than 700 diagnoses stretching from California to New York have been confirmed since January 2019. According to the World Health Organization, 112,163 cases of measles have been reported this year in 170 countries. Measles is a potentially deadly disease which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), may spread to up to 90% of the people close to the person infected if they are not immune. (Check out these two articles from the CDCand Medscape for additional information on measles.) On Thursday, May 2, 2019, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) received word of a case of presumptive positive measles in St. Clair County. While the patient was eventually cleared, it is probably just a matter of time until the first measles case arrives in our state and we should all play a role in helping to identify patients as early as possible. Though the first measles vaccine is not recommended until a child is between 12 and 15 months old, the national outbreak is largely credited to citizens who have chosen to abstain from the vaccination due to a high level of skepticism. Regardless of the cause of the current measles outbreak, it is important that doctors across the State of Alabama be on high alert for potential cases that enter their practices. This is particularly important for those of us in optometry as the measles rash works its way from the head down to the rest of the body with conjunctivitis being an early symptom. According to the ADPH, the symptoms of measles are:
If a patient enters your practice and is experiencing the initial symptoms of measles, asking if they have been vaccinated is the appropriate next step. If they haven't been vaccinated and are suspected to have measles, the patient should be referred to their primary care physician immediately. It is also recommended that the potential positive be reported to the ADPH. The potential effects of measles on a patient's vision can be catastrophic. A 2004 study by the Department of Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the disease accounts for an estimated 15,000 to 60,000 cases of blindness each year among children in low-income countries. In addition to blindness and conjunctivitis, measles patients may also suffer from keratitis, corneal scarring, retinopathy, and optic neuritis. If you have any questions regarding measles and the potential effects on the eye, please let us know! We would be happy to help!
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11/6/2023 12:38:22 am
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