Measles

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Richard
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Measles

Post by Richard »

I may be right out of order here, but all the News items speak of it as a serious and dangerous disease.

Now 'when I was a lad' almost every child got it at some stage and I can't recall any serious cases or it seen as a serious disease. Maybe they were around and I just never heard of them.
I remember having it (mid / late 1950's I think) and being in bed with the curtains pulled, forget how I actually felt though.

Maybe the virus has evolved ?

Mumps I remember could have long term effects, especially with boys just coming into manhood.

Just my thoughts,

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Re: Measles

Post by wendy »

My niece, Debra, had measles when she was under two and was very, very ill. She now is very deaf in one ear.
It is a serious disease.
Vaccinations weren't available then. My Paul was one of the first children to have the vaccine as he had very bad asthma as a child.
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Re: Measles

Post by p.penn »

I think measles has always been potentially dangerous Richard. My father's eyesight was badly damaged as a child because of measles (hence the drawing of curtains). I had it when I was 4 or 5 and remember the doctor visiting, the yukky pink medicine (what on earth was that?) and like you, the curtains being closed.

In underdeveloped countries where there is extreme poverty, measles kills many people as their immune systems are already weakened due to poor nutrition. {cry}

I think measles in this country can still kill, but possibly there is a secondary reason.
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Richard
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Re: Measles

Post by Richard »

Interesting.

Thanks for putting me right.

)t' )t'

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Re: Measles

Post by saint-spoon »

the measels out break is being put down to lack of immunisations in a generation; this is down to the media scare about the MMR vaccine. Nasty disease.
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Re: Measles

Post by Benny&Co »

As far as I know measles is a very serious disease that was practically eradicated with the vaccination programme, until that is, Andrew Wakefield caused all the uncertainty in the late 1990s.

I've seen children badly affected by measles, mumps and rubella (but then I have worked at the extreme end of paediatrics) and now we are seeing many more cases of these diseases. There have been outbreaks up and down the country.

Indeed, because of all this and as the MMR wasn't available when I was a child, I had to be tested to see if I'm immune or not. My mumps count was low, so I had two doses of the MMR and I was fine.

Here's some more info if anyone's interested.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Measles/Pages/Introduction.aspx
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Re: Measles

Post by jannie »

I remember having it as a child and all my children had it too, and it did affect some children quite badly ..there were outbreaks yes but usually contained to one age group and it was accepted that by the age of 10 you'd probably had it.

I don't think measles is any more severe now, it always has been a nasty illness.. but the shear number of children who are ill with it at the same time is putting a real strain on the medical resources in the area.. I heard this morning that staff are being drafted in from other areas to help.
It's also affecting other employers as parents are having to take time off to look after sick children, and nurseries and playgroups have closed to try and contain the outbreak. There is even talk this morning of not reopening the schools here after the Easter break until all children have been vaccinated.
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Re: Measles

Post by Mad Chick »

My Grandma was left profoundly deaf due to having measles as a young child.

I remember, just as Alex was about to have his MMR jab, all the controversy broke out. I agonised for weeks over it but am so glad both mine are vaccinated )t'
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Re: Measles

Post by Mo »

Yes, we did all get it as children. I think it was one of the nastier ones. But in those days a lot of babies were breast fed and so had some resistance due to their mothers having had it as children (I think).
When white men first explored, whole tribes were wiped out by measles because they had no immunity. (If I'm remembering what I've read).
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Re: Measles

Post by albertajune »

I think the problem lays with the fact that most mum's have no experience at all of measles but sadly it it something that is on the up again.
We all had it as kids and I know that my sister was very very ill, while a friend of mine ended up completely deaf after being very ill.
All of my children were vaccinated and avoided this awfull illness.
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Re: Measles

Post by manda »

My ex had measles as a child and it effected his eye sight to the point where he was almost blind in one eye.

My husband had chicken pox when he was 24 and it nearly killed him....horrid as an adult.
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Re: Measles

Post by Benny&Co »

Back when I was doing my nurse training we were seeing the beginnings of the return of measles and mumps even then.

Andrew Wakefield has a lot to answer for!! {warn}
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Re: Measles

Post by Stef »

Wakefield isn't giving up quietly either - more bumptious tut from him in the Indy, I have no idea why they would do that - Oh! Perhaps I do.....

There was a lady on telly earlier in the week saying that part of the problem is that we now have a generation of mums and grandmothers who have never been or seen a very ill child. We are all becoming used to being a healthy society. So 1) they don't do vaccines cos the injection hurts and there is some bruhaha about vaccines in general 2) they absolutely freak when someone they know gets seriously ill from something that could have been prevented. Basically they look round for someone to blame.

I think she has a really valid point, one that hadn't crossed my mind. But it must be really hard for GPs etc to convince mums to take their babies in for a vaccine that 'might' cause a problem when the disease it protects against is a complete unknown!

I am of an age and had the MMR etc. I also 'whooped' after the whooping cough vaccine. I imagine nowadays my parents would have looked for compensation.
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