[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he scariest thing Ally Edwards-Lasenby has ever done was drive her dying son to a hospital because she was told the ambulance would be too slow. Cameron was 13 ½ years old when he contracted the measles virus. Within four days he had developed a full body rash, had stopped eating and drinking, and when the doctors tried to give him fluids at the hospital they simply couldn’t because his veins were collapsing every time they put the needle in his arm.  Ally had to watch her son slowly disintegrate before her eyes and she couldn’t do anything about it. Cameron was put into isolations to protect other children from contracting the awful virus and with the proper medical attention, he was lucky enough to go home after three days. It took another five days before he could eat again and even with antibiotics he developed a cough and lung infection.  After a month of recovering, Cameron was able to go back to school but would struggle to get through whole days for quite some time. Three months after he contracted the illness Cameron still hasn’t gained back the 7 kilograms he lost when he was sick. When Cameron was a baby Ally decided to avoid her son’s measles vaccine because she had read false studies that the measles vaccine would increase a child’s chance of developing autism.

What are vaccines and what do they do?

When foreign bacteria or viruses enter the body, immune cells called lymphocytes respond by making antibodies. These antibodies will then destroy the antigen and remember how to kill it so it can prevent future infection. A vaccine is filled with dead or weakened antigens that your body will ‘defeat’ and your body will then remember what antibody destroyed it for the next time that antigen enters your body. Before the measles vaccine came out in 1963 there were about 500,000 reported cases of the measles virus each year in the United States of America. Within those 500,000 people, 400 to 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 developed brains swelling from the measles virus. After the widespread use of the measles vaccine, there has been a reduction of over 99% of recorded measles cases in the United States of America.

What is Autism?

Autism ( Autism Spectrum disorder) is a disorder that impacts a person’s ability to communicate and interact with other people. Autism is a spectrum condition that can affect people in a different way and can be more severe in some people. according to the Autism Society, “Some of the behaviors associated with autism include delayed learning of language; difficulty making eye contact or holding a conversation; difficulty with executive functioning, which relates to reasoning and planning; narrow, intense interests; poor motor skills’ and sensory sensitivities.” Researchers have discovered that autism has risen from 1 in 125 people to 1 in 68 people and almost 1 in every 54 boys develop autism.

How do Children Develop Autism?

The most obvious symptoms associated with autism develop around 12 and 18 months of age. according to Autism Speaks, ” in the presence of a genetic predisposition to autism, a number of nongenetic, or environmental, influence further increase a child’s risk.” These outside risks include advanced parental age at the time of conception, maternal illness, extreme prematurity or extremely low birth weight, and if the mother was exposed to high levels of pesticides and air pollution. These risk factors by themselves do not cause autism but they can work together with a gene risk to increase the chances of a child developing autism. New studies have shown that children are less likely to develop autism if the mother was taking parental vitamins in the months before and after conception. Researchers are also looking at how a child’s immune system can increase their chance of developing autism. Altho we don’t know exactly what causes autism, doctors have discovered environmental factors that increase your chance of developing autism and have ruled out any chances that autism and vaccines are connected.

How could Autism effect you?

The rising numbers of children diagnosed with autism don’t just affect families, but affects the whole nation. It is estimated that the costs of caring for a child with autism are as great as $2.4 million for a family.  $90 billion is spent in the United States alone on health care for people diagnosed with autism. click here if you want to learn more about how to help decrease the odds of your child developing autism.

The mouth of a patient with Koplik spots, an early sign of measles infection.                                        Photo by Internet Archive Book Images on Foter.com / No known copyright restrictions

What is the Measles Virus?

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that is spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, and breathing and can remain in the air for up to two hours. Some signs and symptoms include,”rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.” Some people who contract the virus can develop an ear infection, diarrhea,  serious lung infections such as pneumonia, and in severe cases brain swelling and even death can occur. Measles remains a common disease in other parts of the world such as Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. In the United States, the few cases of measles are usually a result of traveling.

How Measles is affecting America

In the year 2000, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention considered measles eliminated in the United States. Because of people avoiding their measles vaccines, there were three outbreaks of the measles virus in 2008. In 2008 131 cases of measles were reported and those number continued to climb throughout the years. The CDC  states,”From January 1 to November 4, 2017, 120 people from 15 states (California, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles.”  These sudden outbreaks of measles are caused by many things such as: Not getting vaccinated, Traveling to foreign countries where the virus is still thriving in, and being in a location with a large number of people in it such as Disney World.

How to Take Action Against Measles

The best way to prevent you and others you are close to from contracting measles is to get vaccinated. If you cant afford vaccines or don’t have access to them, some other ways to stay protected include better living and working conditions, improvement in sanitation, and access to clean food and water. To prevent the spread of measles be sure to wash your hand frequently throughout the day, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, cover your mouth with your elbow when you have to sneeze or cough, and try to avoid any close contact with people who are ill.

Featured image by Dr. Partha Sarathi Sahana [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””][/perfectpullquote]