Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

MeaslesCopyright © 2009 Education Development Center, Inc. Exploring Bioethics.Permission granted for classroom use.A young boy who hascontracted measles.An example of a measles rash.Photo: Courtesy CDCPhoto: Courtesy CDCBefore the measles vaccine became available in 1963, nearly everyonein the United States contracted the disease. Until then,about 500,000 people a year in the United States reported havingmeasles. The actual number of people who caught the disease wasprobably much higher, in the range of 3 to 4 million per year. Approximately450 measles-associated deaths were reported each yearbetween 1953 and 1963.One of the most characteristic symptoms of measles is a rash thatbegins on the face and proceeds down the body. Up to 20 percentof people who become infected with measles in the United Statesneed to be hospitalized. Seventeen percent of measles cases havehad one or more complications, such as ear infections, pneumonia,or diarrhea. Pneumonia is present in about 6 percent of casesand accounts for most measles deaths. Some people with measlesdevelop encephalitis (swelling of the lining of the brain), whichcan result in brain damage. In the United States, as many as 3 outof every 1,000 people with measles will die. Measles is one of themost infectious diseases in the world and is frequently importedinto the United States from countries where the vaccine is notwidely used.Master 2.3 (Page 2 of 4)