Measles Wave No end to the eruption in sight

Number of new measles infections in Berlin remains at a high level

04/03/2015

After more than 900 infections have already been reported in the course of the measles epidemic in Berlin, there is great concern about further outbreaks in other federal states. In Thuringia, for example, the reported new infections have increased significantly recently. The current measles outbreak in Berlin is considered by experts as one of the largest in Germany in the last ten years.

„The number of new cases of measles in the 13th reporting week remained high at 56 cases“, so the message of the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LAGeSo) in Berlin. In total, 961 cases have been reported since the beginning of the outbreak (41st reporting week 2014), of which 840 were in that year. Although the number of new cases was slightly below the level of the previous weeks, but from an early end of the outbreak is not expected in the opinion of experts. Other federal states, such as Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia, also recorded increasing case numbers in recent weeks - albeit at a much lower level than in Berlin.

Numerous new infections at a school in Erfurt
„The cause of the strong increase in illnesses in Thuringia lies in the outbreak of measles in a school in Erfurt“, This is the message of the Thuringian Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Women and Family. A large proportion (94 percent) of the affected students were not vaccinated according to the ministry. Just under two-thirds of the 80 measles cases reported in Thuringia since the end of February are due to illnesses at the non-state school in Erfurt. In Berlin, however, the number of weekly new infections reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) was temporarily higher than the number of infections registered in other federal states since the beginning of the year.

Calls for measles vaccination
In Berlin, the health authorities are trying, among other things, to counteract the further spread of measles with information and requests to close existing vaccinates. Because the largest number of cases of disease still occurs among adults who have no vaccine protection. They could easily protect themselves theoretically and thus protect others from transmission of the pathogens. Here, for example, children under the age of one year would particularly benefit, according to which, according to the LAGeSo, vaccination protection is not yet available. So far, they have been most frequently affected by a disease in the course of the current measles outbreak among children.

One quarter of the infected must go to the hospital
The news agency „dpa“ with reference to the Berlin health senator Mario Czaja (CDU) reported that parents have recently vaccinated against measles against the pediatrician and gynecologists can give the accompanying men a vaccine. In the sense of an uncomplicated closure of the implants, these new possibilities have been created. So far, the doctors could not account for a corresponding vaccine. According to information from the RKI, 234 (24 percent) measles cases in Berlin are reported to have been treated in hospital because of the illness. One child had died due to the measles disease. Out of 882 patients with information available, 769 (87 percent) had no vaccine protection.

Signs of measles infection
The infectious disease measles is according to the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) at the beginning of complaints „such as high fever, cough and runny nose, as well as inflammation of the nasopharynx and ocular conjunctiva“ characterized. A few days later, the typical skin rash develops, which starts in the face and behind the ears and then spreads over the entire body. Accompanying a renewed rise in fever was noted. Because the measles temporarily weaken the immune system, other pathogens can be more easily fended off and complications easily caused by additional pathogens, such as otitis media, respiratory or pneumonia.

Impending complication with severe health consequences
Another particularly dreaded complication of measles disease is brain inflammation. According to the BZgA, this occurs in about one out of every 1,000 cases of measles, with up to 30 percent of those affected suffering severe sequelae such as mental disabilities or paralysis, and 10 to 20 percent of patients die from the effects of encephalitis. It is very rare to find a so-called SSPE (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis) several years after a measles infection, which is a progressive inflammation of the brain and nervous system and is always fatal. This affects mainly children who have measles in the first year of life, according to the BZgA. (Fp)