>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK. OVER THE PAST WEEK A MOVIE
THEATER IN CALIFORNIA AND A
CRUISE SHIP IN THE CARIBBEAN
HAD A MEASLES OUTBREAK.
THERE ARE JUST OVER 700
CONFIRMED MEASLES CASES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. THIS IS THE HIGHEST TOTAL IN 25
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. MORE THAN DOUBLE THE CASES FROM
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. WE HAVE INVITED DR. HELEN CHU
TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION.
SO, THIS IS A LOT, RIGHT?
THERE IS ONE THAT ATTENDED THE
MIDNIGHT SHOWING OF IMOVIE IN
CALIFORNIA AND BOOM.
>> WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF
OUTBREAKS IN A LOT OF
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. IT IS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF
CASES IN 25 YEARS.
>> SO TELL US WHAT THE PROBLEM
IS.
IS.
IS. SOMEBODY HAS MEASLES IN A GROUP
OF PEOPLE.
OF PEOPLE. HOW DOES THE PROBLEM START?
>> THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE
THAT ARE UNVACCINATED.
THERE ARE POPULATIONS THAT DID
NOT RECEIVE THE VACCINATIONS
AND PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEW YORK
FOR EXAMPLE.
FOR EXAMPLE. LIKE ORTHODOX JEWISH PEOPLE.
AND THERE IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE
HERE THAT DON'T VACCINATE.
IT IS THE ONES THAT ARE
UNVACCINATED.
UNVACCINATED. >> AND THEN THERE ARE
VULNERABLE PEOPLE AND BABYSIT
NEED TO BE VACCINATED.
WHAT HAPPENS TO AN INFANT IF
THEY ARE EXPOSED AND CONTRACT
MEASLES?
MEASLES?
MEASLES? >> BABIES UNDER THE AGE OF ONE
HAVE NOT RECEIVED THEIR FIRST
DOSE OF MEASLES.
THOSE BABIES ARE AT RISK FOR
GETTING MEASLES, PNEUMONIA AND
THEY CAN ALSO GET SWELLING ON
THE BRAIN.
THE BRAIN. >> THAT IS PRETTY SERIOUS
STUFF.
STUFF.
STUFF. AND WE HAVE A NEW CASE IN KING
COUNTY?
COUNTY?
COUNTY? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. WE HAD SOMEBODY THAT CAME IN
FROM CANADA AS A VISITOR AND
THEY WERE IN A COUPLE OF VERY
PUBLIC PLACES INCLUDING THE
SPACE NEEDLE.
SPACE NEEDLE. >> SO THEN YOU DO DO YOU TRY TO
INFORM EVERYBODY THAT WAS THERE?
>> SO PUBLIC HEALTH GETS
INVOLVED AT THAT POINT.
THEY TRIED TO NOTIFY PEOPLE
THAT HAVE BEEN AT THOSE PLACES.
SO SOME OF US RECEIVED A PUBLIC
HEALTH ALERT ABOUT THIS.
AND IF YOU DO SUSPECT THAT YOU
WERE EXPOSED, YOU GO AHEAD AND
CALL YOUR DOCTOR.
WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS GO
TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE BECAUSE,
AS WE KNOW, IT IS HIGHLY
CONTAGIOUS.
CONTAGIOUS. IF YOU GO TO YOUR DOCTOR'S
OFFICE YOU CAN EASILY TRANSMIT
IT TO OTHER PEOPLE.
>> SO MAKE THAT CALL BUT THEN
WHEN YOU ARE TREATED, WHERE DO
YOU GO?
YOU GO?
YOU GO? >> SO IT DEPENDS ON HOW SICK
YOU ARE.
YOU ARE.
YOU ARE. IF YOU ARE VERY SICK, HE CAN
COME TO THE HOSPITAL.
IF YOU HAVE PNEUMONIA OR THE
SWELLING OF THE BRAIN, THERE
REALLY IS NO THERAPY THAT IS
EFFECTIVE.
EFFECTIVE. SO WE GIVE SUPPORTIVE CARE.
WE TREAT THEM FOR A BACTERIAL
INFECTION AND WE GIVE THEM
VITAMIN A IF THEY ARE VERY SICK
BUT THERE IS NO TREATMENT FOR
MEASLES.
MEASLES.
MEASLES. THE BEST THING TO DO IS GET THE
VACCINE.
VACCINE.
VACCINE. >> SO LET'S TALK ABOUT PEOPLE
WHO ARE ADULTS THAT HAD BEEN
VACCINATED, WE THINK.
BUT WE DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A
BOOSTER OR NOT.
WHAT IS YOUR RECOMMENDATION?
>> IT IS A LITTLE BIT
COMPLICATED.
COMPLICATED. IT DEPENDS ON WHEN YOU WERE
BORN.
BORN.
BORN. IF
BORN. IF YOU WERE BORN BEFORE 1957,
YOU ARE ASSUMED TO BE IMMUNE.
YOU ARE PROBABLY EXPOSED AS A
CHILD AND ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN
EXPOSED, YOU HAVE LIFELONG
IMMUNITY.
IMMUNITY.
IMMUNITY. SO YOU WILL NEVER GET IT AGAIN.
IF YOU WERE BORN BETWEEN 1957
AND THE 1980S THAT PUTS YOU IN
A DIFFERENT CATEGORY.
YOU PROBABLY GOT ONE DOSE OF
THE MEASLES VACCINE AND YOU MAY
HAVE GOTTEN ANOTHER DOSE AT
SOME POINT.
SOME POINT. AND THOSE PEOPLE, THEY ARE
PROBABLY 1 MILLION IMMUNE BUT
IT WOULD NOT HURT TO GET A
SECOND DOSE.
SECOND DOSE. >> AND CONTINUE HER PRIMARY
PHYSICIAN FOR THAT?
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> SO, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE
THAT DO NOT GET VACCINATED FOR
PHILOSOPHIC OR PERSONAL
REASONS.
REASONS.
REASONS. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO REFUSE
TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILD FOR
VARIOUS REASONS.
VARIOUS REASONS. WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT A LOT OF
PEOPLE CHOSE NOT TO VACCINATE
FOR PERSONAL REASONS.
THAT LED TO LARGE GROUPS OF
CHILDREN OR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF
GROUPS OF CHILDREN WHO DID NOT
GET, THEY ARE NOT A MAN AND
THEY DID NOT HAVE COMMUNITY
IMMUNITY.
IMMUNITY.
IMMUNITY. SO YOU DON'T HAVE THE LEVEL OF
IMMUNITY THAT IS NEEDED TO
PREVENT THOSE PEOPLE FROM
PASSING IT ON.
SO THERE WAS A BILL THAT WAS
PASSED THAT WILL NO LONGER
ALLOW PARENTS TO CLAIM A
PERSONAL OR PHILOSOPHICAL REASON
TO NOT BE VACCINATED.
SO THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO
ENTER SCHOOL WITHOUT IT.
>> SO YOU HAVE TO CROSS THAT
HURDLE TO GET YOUR CHILD
REGISTERED FOR SCHOOL.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> SO IF YOU THINK YOU NEED A
BOOSTER, DOES INSURANCE COVER
IT?
IT?
IT? OR
IT? OR DO
IT? OR DO WE KNOW?
>> THAT I DO NOT KNOW.
>> IT PROBABLY DEPENDS ON
INSURANCE I SUPPOSE.
SO, IF SOMEBODY IS WORRIED
ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF
VACCINATION, AND I REALIZE THIS
IS VERY CONTROVERSIAL, IS THERE
A PLACE YOU RECOMMEND THAT THEY
GO TO REVIEW THE INFORMATION
AND WHY THESE THINGS ARE
HAPPENING WITH THE NEW
LEGISLATION?
LEGISLATION? >> I THINK THE CDC WEBSITE IS
AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO START.
THERE IS A CDC WEBSITE ABOUT
MEASLES.
MEASLES.
MEASLES. YOU CAN GO OVER THE FAX AND YOU
CAN ASK QUESTIONS AND GET
ANSWERS.
ANSWERS.
ANSWERS. IT IS A GOOD RELIABLE PLACE TO
START.
START.
START. >>
START. >> I READ AN ARTICLE RECENTLY
FROM A MOTHER ABOUT THE IMPACT
ON HER BABY OF CONTRACTING
MEASLES.
MEASLES.
MEASLES. AND I THINK THAT WAS A NICE
ARTICLE TO READ IN THE SENSE
THAT, THERE IS A RESPONSIBILITY
THAT WE HAVE IS A COMMUNITY.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
AS A SOCIETY AND TO SOCIETY AS
A WHOLE.
A WHOLE.
A WHOLE. >> THANK YOU, SO MUCH.
WE WILL