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by Sherri_Ly

Last Post 13 days, 11 hours Ago


Fairfax Kid with Measles
Mar 14, 2008 | 4:52 PM
Category: News
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A kid in Fairfax County has been diagnosed with measles.  He's 15 months old and got it while traveling to India.  The health department is now notifying about 500 people who came in contact with the child.  It's highly contagious and remains infections on surfaces for up to 2 hours.  The child was 15-months old, at the end of the 12-15 month window recommended to be vaccinated against measles.  The child was at a doctors office, the grocery store and an emergency room before being diagnosed exposing anyone who came in contact with him or was at the same location up to two hours later.

The health department says this is an important reminder to get vaccinated but for many people the jury is still out on whether vaccinations are safe.

What do you think?  If this child had been vaccinated this likely wouldn't have happened.

Another concern?  The health department said it notified everyone it believes was exposed but did not do a public health warning.  No signs at the grocery store.  Should there have been more notice?  They used store savings cards and electronic transactions to trace customers but should others have been warned too?  Could they have missed people or would a public warning caused too much panic?

 

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Member Comments Total Comments: 5
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beagle_buddy read my blog view my photos
Mar 15, 2008 | 8:20 AM

all of the above Sherri but at the heart of this I have to ask ...you note the child had returned, with his parents I imagine, from a recent international trip ...how the heck did up to date immunization requirements exempt this, enabling all this international travel to happen???
AveMaria22 read my blog
Mar 16, 2008 | 3:40 PM

When I was a kid there was no immunization for measles...so, we all got the measles, stayed in bed for a few days, had sassafras tea, chicken broth and stayed warm until our "frecks" began to fade. We were keenly aware that there are several types of measles...german measles, three day measles, red measles etc. We were, of course, parented closely which does not happen today. We never lost a friend, relative, or classmate. Sometimes dads or moms who had never had the measles would catch it and neighbors would arrive to care for the family while the parent(s) recuperated. There was never panic or fear. As a baby, my son had the vaccine...later I learned that vaccine may be dangerous. While I realize both measles without proper care and the vaccine can be dangerous, I don't think panic is appropriate for a case of measles.
caffeinated-cow read my blog
Mar 17, 2008 | 12:25 PM

"If this child had been vaccinated this likely wouldn't have happened."

That's not particularly true. There have been cases of measles outbreaks in colleges and universities among "immunized" students.

As for the contagiousness, yes, it's contagious. BUT the majority of Americans have either had the disease as a youngerster like AveMaria, or have been immunized like me and the vast majority of other people born after the late 1950s.

Failing to be immunized against something only puts the non-immunized at risk....not the folks who have been immunized. So if that boy were sitting next to me right now, I wouldn't have any problem with it at all, because I know I have immunity against measles.
beagle_buddy read my blog view my photos
Mar 17, 2008 | 4:23 PM

…likewise I wouldn't have a lot of uneasiness in the scenario you built CC but I would imagine it would be fair to explore concern over not knowing who this kid's contacts have been and perhaps giving those who may be susceptible some knowledge of the circumstances ...the other thought I would have is learning what the health practices of these people are, to get ahead of any other more serious situations that may exist in them circulating among the general public ...
Sherri_Ly read my blog
Mar 20, 2008 | 5:45 PM

I believe the child would have likely been allowed to leave the country because the vaccination schedule for measles is 12-15 months. So the child returned at the end of the "window" when the vaccination is normally given. Some doctors give the shot at 12 months some choose to wait until the 15-month appointment. Perhaps the parents did not inform their pediatrician. The health department did not know.
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Sherri_Ly

Sherri Ly, Reporter WTTG/FOX 5 I began working as a reporter at FOX 5 in September 2002. I have worked in television news for more than 10-years. Prior to coming to Washington, I worked in Miami, Coastal North Carolina, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I'm a graduate of the University of Miami with a bachelor of science in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.

Member Since: 8/31/2006


 

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