Measles- Preventive Therapies for an Infectious Agent (Part 6)
This case study is based on an investigation by Philip Landrigan, EIS ’70. The investigation is described in: Landrigan PJ.
Epidemic measles in a divided city. JAMA 1972; 221: 567–570.
This case study was original developed by Philip Landrigan, Lyle Conrad and John Witte in 1971. The current version was
updated by Richard Dicker in 2001 and 2003.
Part VI
In previously vaccinated children aged 1–9 years in Bowie County, the measles attack rate in this outbreak was 4.2 per 1000; the comparable rate in unvaccinated children was 96.9 per 1000. From these data, a vaccine efficacy of 95.7 percent was calculated. This is a minimum figure since it has been assumed that all 27 children were correctly vaccinated and that all of the cases therefore represent vaccine failure.
In actuality some of these patients did not receive vaccine under ideal conditions. Eight of the 27 previously vaccinated patients had been vaccinated by nurses from the Texarkana/Bowie County Health Unit at a day nursery. The vaccine for these eight children had been carried back and forth to the nursery from the Health Unit in a cooler in a car on three separate days in June and July 1970. Although a lapse in technique which allowed warming of the vaccine cannot be documented here, it is a possible explanation.
An additional seven patients had been vaccinated under the age of 1 year. These children were vaccinated in the years 1963–67 when it was recommended that measles vaccine be given at age 9 months. It has since been learned that a vaccine failure rate as high as 15% may accompany vaccination at 9 months in the United States.
Directions:
Measles is the theme of this Case Study. Answer the questions listed for part 6 (below) using APA citation and formatting in a 3–page paper after reading the material and using the resources provided. Use references as appropriate to answer the questions fully. Remember to cite all sources. Use professional references (not common websites), cite the reference where used in the narrative, and use correct reference formatting.
Answer the following questions with responses:
Question 1: What is the WHO recommended age for measles vaccination in developing countries? Why is the recommended age for vaccination different in the United States?
Question 2: What are the different types of vaccines that are available today? How are they different, and how are they the same? Find and describe an example of at least two types of vaccines and comment on their advantages and disadvantages, including the need for boosters.
