Spend hours on end was Steve McGraw by Detroit, had all the alerts in the municipality, which occurred to him. Together, they were looking for a blue Sedan. With the car a measles last been Sick on the road, had come at the beginning of March from New York to Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan and the infectious disease inadvertently more widespread.
When she had finally found him, could not understand the excitement at all. You must be mistaken, argued the man. He could not possibly have the measles, because he had made the disease and thus immune. But McGraw, employees of the medical emergency service in Oakland County, was sure: “There is only one disease in question, and you have,” he said to the man. “He was very emotional,” says McGraw the Situation to the “Washington Post”. “I could tell by the expression on his face that he was devastated. He counted in his head by how many people he had contact with.”
Wrong Diagnosis
13. March was confirmed by a blood test that the man was actually sick with the measles. Without knowing it, he had brought the virus to Michigan. Physicians speak in this case of a “patient zero”.
The authorities have not released the man’s name to protect his personality rights. It is clear that he was driven in March from New York to Detroit. Probably he had put on it in the New York city borough of Brooklyn. An analysis of the pathogen revealed that it was in two cities of the same virus strain. In New York, the grass, the measles quantize already, for parts of Brooklyn in a state of emergency and a mandatory vaccination is imposed.
As the man was on the way to Detroit, he already had a fever and cough. A doctor had misdiagnosed as Bronchitis. He had never seen measles in a patient. Even as the man on the go called and told that he had a rash, did not the physicians to the correct diagnosis, but thought the rash for an allergic reaction.
It was only when he hung up, and about the symptoms was, came to him the suspicion that the man could suffer from measles. He informed the competent Health Department and the phone gave the number of a man. This, however, had apparently problems with his phone and was unable to reach. The medical emergency service and McGraw came into the game, and the search for Patient zero.
Highly contagious
Employees of the competent public health authorities reconstructed, with whom Patient zero had contact. They came on about 30 places where he had stopped within a week. At least 39 people were infected. Measles three to five days before rash appears contagious. Then Ill spread for about four days the Virus.
Two hours after an infected Patient has left a specific location, the measles virus in the air detectable. An Infected comes with a human contact that is not protected by vaccination or previous illness, becomes ill with a probability of 95 percent. The measles are one of the most contagious Pathogens in the world.
As it becomes clear, that the measles have now reached Michigan, the authorities respond immediately. A messaging system 1200 people were informed in the municipality of, in the primarily ultra-Orthodox Jews live. In a communication rabbis called on their congregants to be fully vaccinated. Children should receive the first vaccination at the age of eleven to 14 months and the second between 15 and 23 months. Only then a sufficient protection.
Until the beginning of April, more than 2,100 doses of the vaccine were distributed in the metro Detroit area. According to the current state of knowledge, the measles outbreak could be contained, thereby, at least in Michigan.
Number of measles cases quadrupled
The case of the USA shows so quickly measles can spread and how ignorance of the health risk. Not all who are not immunized against measles, oppose vaccinations per se. Many simply do not know that two injections are necessary. Many of the Infected individuals in Michigan were adults that were convinced, to have the measles already had or to be adequately vaccinated against it.
According to estimates by the world health organization (WHO), with only 67 percent of people in the world two vaccinations. The measles eradicate, should be vaccinated 95 percent, twice against the pathogen. Actually, the world community wanted to achieve this goal already in 2015. Recently, there had been worldwide, but increased measles outbreaks. This year alone, the Numbers have quadrupled according to the WHO, compared to the prior-year period.
A measles infection weakens the immune system immensely, more infections are so common. A dreaded result of an inflammation of the brain, the measles encephalitis which can be fatal or with permanent damage. As a late result of measles infection is an inflammation of the nerve cells of the brain and of the spinal cord may form also after years of a so-called subacute sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE),. It leads to the failure of brain functions and finally to death.