| Measles is caused by a virus of the influenza family. | | | | told to keep away from anyone who had measles - at |
| The initial measles symptoms are a bit like a bad cold | | | | least until they went back to school. Some never went |
| or flu, but with a rash! The vast majority of parents do | | | | back. |
| not know what measles really is, other than being a | | | | Since the measles vaccine, which became available in |
| childhood illness. They know it has a rash and is | | | | 1963, and MMR which was licensed in the USA in 1971 |
| infectious, but that's about it. They have probably never | | | | (1972 in the UK), the disease has become uncommon |
| seen it and don't know anyone who has had it. Most | | | | in developed countries, and parents have become |
| doctors would not recognise measles symptoms until | | | | blasé about it. This is the only reason I can think |
| the rash appeared, never having come across it. This | | | | of for them concluding that measles parties are better |
| is due to the measles vaccination program which was | | | | for their children than the vaccine. If it does not kill, it |
| superseded by the MMR vaccine. | | | | can have some very nasty side effects. It is without a |
| I have even heard of parents arranging measles | | | | doubt the most dangerous children's rash-producing |
| parties, where young children are sent to visit others | | | | disease. |
| who have measles in order that they catch it. This is | | | | Measles is still one of the major causes of death in |
| going back to the immediate post World War 2 era | | | | children worldwide (over 600,000 have been reported) |
| when immunity was gained by catching the disease. I | | | | and it is almost as contagious as smallpox. Children |
| was brought up in the 1950s and early 1960s and | | | | have around a 99% chance of contracting the disease |
| remember mumps parties and German measles | | | | if they come into contacted with an infected person. |
| parties so that children would be immune to these | | | | The main cause of death in around 60% of measles |
| diseases as adults, but not measles parties. | | | | cases is pneumonia. |
| The reason for this is that mumps can damage the | | | | If it does not kill your children they have a high chance |
| male reproductive system ( and, not so well known, | | | | of hearing problems, and worse, a much higher than |
| the ovaries as well) if contracted after puberty, and | | | | average chance of contracting meningitis or |
| German measles is very dangerous to the developing | | | | encephalitis. The chances of this are only 1 in a 1000, |
| fetus. In children, however, they are relatively mild | | | | but you don't want your son or daughter to be that |
| diseases. Painful and uncomfortable, perhaps, but not | | | | one. I know, because my son was that one. He |
| what you would call killer diseases. German measles is | | | | contracted meningitis and encaphilitis shortly after |
| not a type of measles. The word 'German' probably | | | | receiving a measles vaccination, but I still prompted my |
| comes from a Latin word, germanus, meaning 'similar' | | | | daughter to allow her son to have the MMR vaccine. |
| since the symptoms are similar to those of measles. | | | | The disease is far more dangerous than the vaccine. |
| Measles kill, so we never had measles parties. In fact | | | | He had it and all was well. My son's story is on my |
| back in the 1940s and 1950s it was a major killer. In | | | | website. |
| England alone 5,677 children died in the 1940s. Nobody | | | | In part two of this article, I will explain the symptoms |
| wanted their kids to catch measles back in these | | | | and in what order they can be expected, to help |
| days. I have read that measles parties were common | | | | parents who are unsure what they should do or when |
| then, but I never came across one. We were always | | | | to call a doctor. |