A woman and a man have been diagnosed with measles after they have returned home from a skiing trip to Val Thorens in The French Alps.
The French information has further informed the Danish authorities that there is an outbreak of measles in the area.
It is therefore assessed as more likely than not that the danes have been infected by the same outbreak.
– of course, We must have made a genotypning of the virus in order to ascertain whether it is the same strain circulating in the area. In principle, it could be two tribes, says Peter Henrik Andersen, who is afdelingslæge and expert in vaccineforebyggende diseases at Statens Serum Institut, to Ekstra Bladet.
He strongly urges, that all danes who are not vaccinated against this extremely infectious disease, it becomes, if they are to skiing.
– It is how to set the message, regardless of whether you are skiing or not, stresses the chief physician, who calls measles “the most infectious disease we know’.
Mæslinge virus is transmitted through the air, and there is almost nothing to the spread. In fact, you should just pass a carrier on the street or put you into a bus or a train, which an infected person has been in. Viruspartiklerne are hanging in the air.
How to be treated measles
If you know that you have been exposed to the measles virus without to be immune, so one should respond quickly, since it is possible to make a preventive treatment.
– If you are quick enough, you can actually be vaccinated three days after infection and avoid getting the disease.
– Then you can still give it, you call the ‘passive protection’, that is antibodies. Immunoglobulin, as it is called. They contain protection against measles, and them you can provide up to six hours after, say afdelingslæge at Statens Serum Institut Peter Henrik Andersen.
the Symptoms of measles are reminiscent of the symptoms of a violent cold, where you get a high fever, red eyes, and the nose runs. Later in the disease develop the characteristic rash.
There is no treatment for measles, when the disease is in the outbreak. You should keep the sick in isolation the first week to reduce the smittefaren, and it is important to get enough liquid. There can be given treatment that relieves symptoms, such as cough.
Vaccination provides lifelong protection against measles.
Source: Statens Serum Institut.
Measles is first introduced in the childhood immunisation programme in 1987. Therefore, a large proportion of the population born before that time have not been vaccinated against measles.
most of them have had the disease, but those who do not have risk to be infected.
Smittefaren has not been less of that connection to the childhood immunisation programme in Denmark for some years has been declining.
the WHO has repeatedly sounded the alarm and pointed out that, among other things, Denmark is lagging behind in the goal to contain the dangerous childhood diseases like rubella and measles.
In the summer, warned the world health Organization that the number of mæslingetilfælde was increased significantly in 2018. At least 37 people lost their lives because of the infectious disease.
the Whole up to 41,000 cases of measles were registered around Europe in the first six months. It is a significant increase of 300 percent compared to 2017, where the WHO registered about 24,000 cases throughout the year – and almost a ekplosion of 1500 percent compared to 2016.
In Denmark the disease has been virtually eliminated, after the MMR vaccine as part of the childhood immunisation programme was introduced in 1987. It covers against measles, mumps and rubella.
in Order to prevent major outbreaks, at least 95 percent of a country’s population, according to the WHO vaccinated.
the Number of recipients in Denmark over the last 15 years has been the highest has been 92 percent, however, with an increasing trend for the latest years.
– There is, therefore, for many young adults, who lack to be vaccinated, says Peter Henrik Andersen and continues:
– Therefore it is also pleasing to all adults in denmark, who have not had measles or previously been vaccinated, from 1. april last year, could be free vaccinated against measles.
When parents opt out of a vaccine on behalf of their children, it runs counter to recommendations from the Statens Serum Institute and the world health organization (WHO). The WHO’s official target is that 95 percent of the world’s population must be vaccinated against measles, because it creates a so-called ’herd-immunity’.
Herd immunity means according to the Statens Serum Institut, that enough is vaccinated, so the virus can’t circulate in the population, and thus will the non-vaccinated will also be protected against infection.
So dangerous is measles
Measles is an extremely contagious airborne virus. It is transmitted through coughing. Viruspartiklerne can be stuck for up to two hours, and you can be infected without even having been in the vicinity of the infected person.
the Disease is shown by fever, colds and hypersensitivity to light. Three to four days seen a rash that starts in face and moves down over the body.
One out of 15 mæslingesmittede get otitis.
Pneumonia is a out of the 25 with measles.
Encephalitis will be seen in 1 out of 2500 with measles.
Blodplademangel will be seen in 1 out of 3500 with measles.
In Denmark, will have children thanks to the good hospitalsforhold die of measles.
Nevertheless, measles cost a out of 2,500-3,000 for life. The mortality rate is significantly higher in the developing countries: Here, the door between one and five out of 100 mæslingetilfælde.