It has come to the attention of the community health care department that everyone is at risk of contracting measles after a case was reported in the local high school. It is a highly contagious disease and if the one student was reported to be infected, it is highly likely that ninety percent of the school could get infected if they are not immune to it. If the entire school is affected, the children are likely to spread it to the rest of the community as they come into contact with their families after school. It is important to view the current situation with urgency and take the necessary precautions to ensure that the community is as protected as is necessary and the disease if prevented from spreading.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that quickly spreads through respiratory droplets that come about through sneezing or coughing ( Holzmann et al., 2016) . One would not experience its symptoms immediately after infection as they will about ten to fourteen days after the individual is exposed. Experts believe that an infected individual has the ability to spread the infection to others four days prior and four days after the rash appears. The condition is characterized by a high fever, a runny nose, red and watery eyes and a cough. A couple of days after these symptoms the patient develops tiny white spots on their bodies which may also be seen in the mouth. This would then be followed by a rush and a spike in body temperature ( Hall et al., 2017) .
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The health care department has become aware of the single reported case of measles and it is highly likely that the children who have not been vaccinated will be affected adversely. It is necessary that the entire community take necessary precaution to ensure that its spread is limited and the wellness of the entire society is maintained. The community and especially parents with children are advised to visit the health care facilities across the community to access interventions that will either help prevent infection or help reduce its severity. Those affected will be given a vaccine but they need to visit hospitals within seventy-two hours after infection. It will help prevent and also slow down the severity of the infection’s symptoms. The community also has access to immunoglobulin, immune proteins, which can be given within six days of exposure to help manage the virus. Since the symptoms take up to fourteen days to appear, it is necessary for parents with unvaccinated children to visit health care facilities with their children to access the treatment options mentioned above.
It is important for everyone to be aware that measles can be debilitating on children as is severe cases the condition may result in death. The WHO has recorded thousands of deaths due to the condition across the world ( Dabbagh et al., 2017) . This presents a valid reason to ensure that the entire community takes precautionary measures and specifically people take time to get the recommended treatments. In consultation with local administration, a few days will be set forth for everyone to access these vaccines. Even if it will require for schools to be closed for a few days for children to be vaccinated and treated, this is what the health care department will advocate for.
As a public healthcare nurse, I am well aware of what measles can do to a population and thus I am recommending for members of the community to seek vaccines from health care facilities. We should not be worried as enough vaccines have been availed by the local administration and everyone who needs treatment will have access to it. Even so, the surest way we can prevent conditions like measles would be vaccinating our children while they are still young ( Bester, 2016) . Vaccines will help them build a strong immunity against the virus and therefore prevent such occurrences in the future.
References
Bester, J. C. (2016). Measles and measles vaccination: a review. JAMA pediatrics , 170 (12), 1209-1215.
Dabbagh, A., Patel, M. K., Dumolard, L., Gacic-Dobo, M., Mulders, M. N., Okwo-Bele, J. M., ... & Goodson, J. L. (2017). Progress toward regional measles elimination—worldwide, 2000–2016. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report , 66 (42), 1148.
Hall, V., Banerjee, E., Kenyon, C., Strain, A., Griffith, J., Como-Sabetti, K., ... & Johnson, D. (2017). Measles outbreak—minnesota april–may 2017. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report , 66 (27), 713.
Holzmann, H., Hengel, H., Tenbusch, M., & Doerr, H. W. (2016). Eradication of measles: remaining challenges. Medical microbiology and immunology , 205 (3), 201-208.
