Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection whose causative virus only affects a human being. It is one of the infectious diseases in the world that is responsible for a high number death rate, especially among the children. Measles spread from one person to next through respiratory droplets. Further, the disease can transfer from one person to next through contact with throat or nasal secretion of an infected individual. According to Center for Disease Control, “The incubation period of measles ranges between 7 and 18 days and patients are infectious from about four days before developing the rash until four days after rash” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Due to its dangers in the population, this discussion is based on measles' epidemiology and the role of a nurse in controlling its impact on the population.
Measles
Measles is caused by a virus that spread at a high rate in a population. The causative virus for measles is known as rubeola or the morbilli. According to Healthy People 2022, Measles is an endemic disease. This implies that the condition is ever-present in the population and people perennially develop its resistance. Despite the dangers that come with Measles, the World Health Organization claim that this disease passes untreated for nearly seven to ten days. A person who had suffered from measles develops an immunity that defends the body against this disease. It is an implication that such a person become resistance to the virus thus may not produce the condition in his or her life.
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Different signs and symptoms manifest in a person suffering from measles. These sign and symptoms are critical for the parents and the guardians since they need to take the victim to the hospital immediately after observing such signs to prevent the disease from becoming severe. Also, it is critical to note that these signs and symptoms do not show up quickly after infection. The parents may start observing the signs and symptoms after nine to ten days of infection. When a suffers from this disease, a person may experience running nose, and dry skin coupled dry coughs, swollen eyelids, and inflamed eyes, a condition is known as conjunctivitis ( Gans, Maldonado & Kaplan, 2018). Other than these, the patient will experience watery eyes, sneezing, reddish-brown rashes, photophobiacondition, and Koplik’s spot and general body pain. Fever is also another sign of this condition, and it may range from mild to severe. Note that "The reddish-brown rash appears around 3 to 4 days after initial symptoms. This can last for over a week. The rash usually starts behind the ears and spreads over the head and neck. After a couple of days, it spreads to the rest of the body, including the legs. As the spots grow, they often join together” (Coughlin et al., 2017).
Complication as a result of meals though exist, are less common. Those who have weak immune, for instance, those who are infected with a disease like HIV, Leukemia or inadequate vitamin are more likely to face complication brought by measles infections. Further, Adults are more likely to face complexity than children. Some of the complication which is known includes the following; there is vomiting, diarrhea, eye infections, respiratory tract infections, difficulty in breathing, febrile seizures, and ear infections. However, other less common complications may occur. An example includes hepatitis, Encephalitis, Thrombocytopenia and squint.
There is no specific treatment for measles. In case there is no complication, the patient is recommended to sleep and drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration. The disease’ symptoms can disappear in a week. However, there are measures which can be of help for such a patient. First, the temperature should be kept in check throughout the period. Further, people should avoid smoking near the child. The use of sunglasses is vital to reduce the intensity of light. Also, it is essential to use medicine that reduces coughing and fever that can result in dehydration.
The disease is a burden which affects both adults and children. According to the world health organization, "the disease is a serious problem with high mortality that stands at (10%) with malnutrition being an important factor.” In the year 2000, approximately 31 to 39.9 million illnesses worldwide were tied to the onset of measles. Precisely, it was estimated that 733,000 to 777,000 deaths occur as a result of measles. This statistic thus suggests though measles has vaccines, it is the fifth most common cause of death in children under five years of age.
Specific health determents also accelerate measles in a population. It is important to note that any child or a person who has not received vaccination against this disease is at risk of infection. It is an implication that health behavior is a determinant of the rate of spread and infection. Those who are unable to access vaccination thus risk getting an infection. Culture is another factor. There are cultures which do not prefer hospitals or vaccination. In such areas are prone to measles. Climate or physical environment is another factor. According to the World Health Organization, “temperate zone hosts most cases of measles during winter and early spring. The incidence of measles increases during dry seasons in tropical zones.”
Epidemiology triage has three components, the host, the agent, and the environment. The host is where the disease resides or a person vulnerable to getting an infection. In the case of measles, the human being is the host. The host is made vulnerable by factors such as socioeconomic factors, for instance, poverty and culture. Other factors which also make the most susceptible include congestion and immunity in the case of measles. The next component is the agent. This is the causative factor. They can be a chemical agent, biological, physical, nutrition or mechanical agents. For measles, the agent is a virus, a biological agent called rubeola. Lastly, Environment is the surrounding that increases the host’s vulnerability to the agent. These can be the physical environment, the natural environment, and social environment. For measles, there is a physical environment for instance weather change in some places, and biological environment, for instance, reduced immunity.
A public health nurse is responsible for disease prevention. They have a role in ensuring that they identify areas vulnerable to disease, and take necessary actions that can help reduce the chances of disease occurrence in such an area. In the case of Measles, they have to collect data in an area where measles are prone, analyze the data and come up with a pattern of the disease occurrence in such a population. They also have the responsibility tocollaborate with other health bodies and community members to identify area and individuals vulnerable to measles; such data are essential for public health nurses since they use them to predict the trend in Measles occurrence in such an area ( Lekana-Douki et al., 2019). Further, the public nurses collaborate with other bodies to source for funds to increase research and find a solution for increase mortality rate as a result of measles. Such data are presented in graphs and pie charts for analysis to find a better solution to measles. Lastly, public health nurses should also carry out a follow-up survey to determine the impact of anti-measles campaigns, research, and programs to ensure their effectiveness.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases. Washington DC Public Health Foundation , 2 , 20-2.
Coughlin, M., Beck, A., Bankamp, B., & Rota, P. (2017). Perspective on global measles epidemiology and control and the role of novel vaccination strategies. Viruses , 9 (1), 11.
Gans, H., Maldonado, Y. A., & Kaplan, S. L. (2018). Measles: epidemiology and transmission.
Lekana-Douki, S. E., Sir-Ondo-Enguier, P. N., Banga-Mve-Ella, O., Imboumy-Limoukou, R. K., Maganga, G. D., Lekana-Douki, J. B., & Berthet, N. (2019). Epidemiology and molecular characterization of the re-emerging measles virus among children and adults in the Haut-Ogooue, Gabon. BMC infectious diseases , 19 (1), 90.
