Measles Virus that Causes Forgetfulness of the Immune System
Measles virus
The measles virus is the RNA virus responsible for measles. It is the first of its kind in contagious viruses. Measles can spread very quickly from one person to another through the air. It can float in the air for about two hours.
November 15, 2019; Upolu is a Samoan island in the South Pacific Ocean.
An important meeting of government officials is taking place on Samoa’s second most populous green island. An epidemic is knocking at the door. Although there is an effective vaccine, a large population has been deliberately left out for some reason. Therefore, the authorities are fearing the death of many children if the epidemic spreads. As a result, he declared a state of emergency in the evening.
But what is this epidemic? Three months ago, a citizen who returned to New Zealand entered here with a red blister. At that time, there was a measles epidemic in New Zealand. Despite suspecting the same illness as the citizen, the public health officials did not take any further action.
By October 2, seven more people had been caught with measles. Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during childhood and adolescence.
At the beginning of November, the number of patients reached 618. On an island with a population of only 1,97,000, that indicates an incidence rate of about 0.4%. This rate is of concern compared to the population for infectious diseases.
The government took electrical measures. The vaccine has been made mandatory. Red flags were hung in the homes of those who had not been vaccinated. Seeing that target, the health officials went from house to house and survived. A lockdown was issued to stop the infection. The people also observed it fairly properly this time. Roads are empty, and international flights are canceled for now.
After a month and a half, the government lifted the state of emergency. As can be seen, a total of 5.6 people have been infected with measles. The disease affects only 6 percent of those under 15 years of age. Of these, 71 died.
The question may arise – measles is a preventable disease. Vaccination in childhood reduces the risk of measles. Then why is there an epidemic? This is because, at the time, only 30% of the island’s population had been vaccinated against measles. Even a year ago, that rate was about 80-90 percent.
But why were people not vaccinated? Behind this was the fear of the measles vaccine. But the damage has already been done. People have unreasonable fears about vaccines. In this age of social media, various irrational theories have spread. As a result, the tendency to get the measles vaccine in a hurry goes downhill. As a result, the virus imported from New Zealand became a fertile field.
But even after the end of the epidemic, another new threat remains. This is called immune amnesia or forgetfulness of the immune system. So far, it has only been reported in the case of measles virus, measles virus. Immune amnesia can be even more deadly than an epidemic.