Measles – a spot of bother
What did you do in the last hour? If you are a GP you probably saw half a dozen patients. Or maybe you did a bit of work on the computer, read a blog or two and had a coffee.
perspective failure. Measles isn’t perceived as a killer bug, more of a
childhood inconvenience. A nuisance rather than a potentially calamitous disease. The failure of our population to appreciate the seriousness of some diseases and yet allow others to reach ghoulish levels of fear sometimes is inexplicable.
It could get very serious indeed.The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (a dangerous infection of the brain causing inflammation), severe diarrhoea (possibly leading to dehydration), ear infections and severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death associated with measles. Encephalitis is estimated to occur in one out of 1000 cases, while otitis media (middle ear infection) is reported in 5-15% of cases and pneumonia in 5-10% of cases. The case fatality rate in developing countries is generally in the range of 1 to 5%, but may be as high as 25%.
Latest modelling research carried out by the Agency, examining the potential for measles transmission in England, suggests that there is now a real risk of a large measles outbreak of between approximately 30,000 to 100,000 cases – the majority in London. [my italics]
Terrifying. I am quite tempted to pillory the likes of Dr Andrew Wakefield for his role in damaging the perception of the value of vaccines in the UK but I think the problem is probably a wider one than any single muppet and his half-baked theories.
stop blaming the public
its the medics stupid
and the crap way health care is organised in this country
watching someone close die from prostate cancer which has never been treated by anything but pain relief in its multi year slow but predictable action is staggering, how does the nhs get away with it?
id take half of you lot outside and shoot you, and thats too good for you
the nhs is a disgrace the sooner its broken up and replaced with a model that works the better
and if medics et al didnt lie so much about vacinations et al, remember all the hemophiliacs who died after taking staff they were PROMISED was safe in the same bland way folk are promised the vacinations are safe, with not even the smallest of applogies from the medical business, of course folk treat your advice with contempt, its a rational decision given the evidence
“staff” should be “stuff” of course
This post was never about attributing blame. I do agree there is some kind of fundamental problem with the way advice from the medical profession is perceived. I am regularly appalled by some of the harm done by the medical profession. But vaccines really do not come into that category.
The evidence for the benefit for vaccines stands on its merits – but that message clearly isn’t getting through for some reason.
well appologise when you get it wrong for a start, lets have a post appologising to all those hemophiliacs ?
only when medics show some humility and realism will anyone trust them
and given medics current role as bystanders handing out pain relief while folk die of conditions with treatable conditions in the nhs i dont think you can expect any respect any time soon
For more information about otitis media and related treatment options visit http://sinusinfocenter.com