# data[].attributes.body
1. What was the most revealing aspect you learned about your disease?

I learned about the long history of the disease and how important measles were in ushering in the vaccinations we administer today. The techniques of producing immunizations and even the ways in which they contained the the highly-contagious disease through quarantining are methods of disease control that we still use to this day. I think it's revealing that we have all of this new technology but we can still also learn from what older generations discovered.

2. What did you learn about your disease that surprised you?

It surprised me frankly how little information there was about the history and current studies of the vaccine. There were some websites that detailed documents from when measles were still mostly active, but a lot of the information I was able to find was gleaned from websites that were promoting getting the vaccine, not necessarily about just measles information. There are still measles outbreaks and on-going vaccination programs in other parts of the world, so I was surprised that there wasn't more available information on the disease as it stands now. But I suppose it makes sense, given that a lot of the websites were US- centric, and measles aren't a major concern here.

3. What did you come across in your research that should have been a part of the Padlet assignment?

I honestly don't quite remember if this was or wasn't a requirement, but I think we should have gone into how the disease presented itself in clinical settings and how it would be diagnosed. For measles, most of the time doctors can diagnose the disease by looking at the rashes, however there can be blood and urine tests done to ensure the presence of the virus. Measles can be easily mistaken for other rash-causing diseases, so it's best to know exactly what disease it is in order to respond appropriately.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Beyond the physical effect, what was the societal and sociological impact of this disease?

It's not necessarily the impact of the disease itself, but given that it was one of the first major diseases to have a vaccine, it certainly changed the medical landscape by introducing the very concept of vaccinations. The eradication of measles in the first place is a big impact, it showed the importance of vaccination and popularized the idea of herd immunity.

2. Did any society behaviors change?

Again, I think the introduction of vaccines allowed for society in general to regulate being vaccinated and keeping your vaccinations up to date. In the scientific world, the invention of measles now means every prominent disease either has a vaccine or there are development plans in place for vaccines. Diseases are still a problem, but now we have methods of dealing with them when they pop up, like COVID.

3. Did society “learn” from the physical effect of the disease?

I would say that quarantining was one "lesson" that society learned from measles. Since measles is such a highly contagious disease, quarantining was the most effective way of containing the disease before the vaccine was invented. Similar methods of containing incredibly infectious diseases have often been employed throughout history, so I think it's generally applicable enough for lesson.

# data[].attributes.headline
Padlet Assignment 6: Leadership Response

# data[].attributes.subject
Padlet Assignment 6: Leadership Response

# data[].attributes.body
1. How was the disease handled by the leadership and/or governmental bodies to the disease?

The trajectory of measles changed when the first vaccine was licensed for use in 1961. Individuals countries focused on their own vaccination programs from then on. The World Health Organization (WHO) focused its first international efforts with vaccination programs in Africa. The advent of the MMR vaccine (a vaccine that was against mumps, measles and rubella - later adding varicella as well) allowed for even more effective vaccination programs. Particularly in the Americas starting 1991.

2. Were any innovative initiatives used in combating the disease? What were they?

One major innovation was the invention of the vaccine itself, which paved the way for most live-attenuated vaccines now in use now. Another innovation is the elimination strategies employed by WHO during this time, which aim to interrupt disease transmission, accelerate efforts to contain the disease through surveillance of symptoms and to increase outreach to as many people as possible. These are still in use today to combat measles and other infectious disease outbreaks internationally.

3. What could leadership have done better in response to this disease?

Unfortunately, vaccination efforts encountered a problem when a scientific paper came out in the Lancet (a typically well-reviewed medical journal) that pointed towards a link between autism and vaccination. As a result, there was a serious dip in vaccination and there were outbreaks of measles. Since it's such a highly contagious disease, the threshold for community immunity is very high, it's difficult to reach that threshold if people are scared to be vaccinated. The spread of misinformation on vaccines is still an on-going problem today. I think leaderships in these countries should have done a better job in reassuring the people that vaccinations are practically harmless, and that even if they did have side effects, the good that comes out of being vaccinated outweighs these concerns entirely. Although, I understand that the type of person who would buy into these conspiracies probably wouldn't be convinced so easily by the government.

# data[].attributes.body
1. How was the disease handled by the health care community?

When a person is infected by measles, there is no specific cure or treatment for them. Typically they are quarantined for about 4 days after symptoms appear, as the disease is incredibly communicable and spreads quickly given direct contact between infected and susceptible people. Those infected are put on bed rest and given plenty of fluids, it typically takes them about 2-3 weeks to fully recover.

2. What medical advances were used in combating the disease?

The measles vaccine, developed in 1963, was combined with the mumps and rubella vaccines in 1971 into the MMR vaccine. In 1974, the World Health Organization targeted measles when they established the Expanded/ Essential Program on Immunization and this program (along with other vaccination programs within countries) helped to practically eradicate the disease.

3. Were any new technologies applied to this disease? What were they?

The measles vaccine is used as the basis for most live-attenuated (meaning weakened) vaccines to this day. It was developed by John Enders, after one of his lab workers took a measles culture from an infected schoolchild.

# data[].attributes.body
1. How virulent is your disease? Virulence is defined as the degree to which a pathogenic organism causes disease, otherwise known as the harm done by a pathogen to an infected host. While measles are extremely contagious, they follow the virulence-transmission rate trade-off. Most people survive having measles, with 1-2 people in a 1,000 cases dying and 1 in 4 needing to be hospitalized in the U.S. Typically, measles clear up in 7-10 days.

2. Did the virulence change over time? Worldwide, there are about 36 cases of measles per 1 million people. About 134,000 people die per year from measles. In the years before vaccination in the U.S., there were about 400-500 cases that resulted in death. So the virulence definitely has changed. The main cause of virulence of measles changing over time is the measles vaccination, which has been extremely effective in practically eliminating measles from the U.S. and thus preventing any harm that could be done by the virus.

# data[].attributes.headline
Padlet Assignment 3: Disease Spread 10/31/2023

# data[].attributes.subject
Padlet Assignment 3: Disease Spread 10/31/2023

# data[].attributes.body
1. Where (e.g., what geographical regions) did the disease spread to?

During the Middle Ages, measles was predominantly spread in Europe, South and East Asia, India and China. As ships began traveling to the New World, measles was then spread to the Americas and the rest of the New World. Isolated islands were eventually infected as well. Measles, due to its highly contagious nature, can now be found worldwide.

2. What was the timeline of the spread?

Middle Ages: Measles outbreaks in Europe, South and East Asia, India, China

Renaissance to 20th century: With European colonial expansion beginning in the 17th century, measles spread worldwide.

1521-1532: Major outbreaks in Mexico, the Incan Empire, Cuba, Honduras, and Brazil from Spanish/Portuguese colonization

17th century: First instance of measles along the North American East Coast

1826-1848 Measles first appeared on the West Coast in Oregon before spreading to the rest of the country, especially California and Alaska.

19th century: Isolated islands like Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, Hawaii, Fiji, New Guinea, Somoa, Iceland, Faroe Islands and many more.

3. Approximately how many people were affected (illness and/or death)?

Measles continues to affect the global population, with an estimated 20-30 million cases of infection and at least 1 million deaths per year. Prior to the vaccination and reduction in cases, measles infected and killed millions as well.

4. If available, include a picture or a link to a map in your Padlet post that shows location the disease has been detected.

# data[].attributes.headline
Padlet Assignment 2: Point of Origin 10/22/2023

# data[].attributes.subject
Padlet Assignment 2: Point of Origin 10/22/2023

# data[].attributes.body
a) Where was your disease of study first detected?

While symptoms for a disease that was like measles were described in the 9th century, the first true epidemic for measles were recorded in the 11th and 12th centuries.

b) What was the suspected infectious agent (e.g., bacteria, virus, fungi, or parasite)?
Measles is thought to be caused by the measles virus (MeV).

c) What type of disease was it (e.g., zoonotic, emerging infectious disease, etc.)? Be sure to include the definition of the disease type in your post.
MeV's closest relative is the rinderpest virus (RPV), a pathogen of cattle. So it's thought to be a virus that originated from a non-human species (cattle) and caused infectious diseases in humans that raised these cattle. Thus, it would be known as a zoonotic disease, as zoonotic diseases are characterized as a diseases (caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc) that are transmissible from animals to humans, like MeV is.

# data[].attributes.headline
Padlet Assignment 1: Pick a Disease of Study 10/17/2023

# data[].attributes.subject
Padlet Assignment 1: Pick a Disease of Study 10/17/2023

# data[].attributes.body
For my chosen disease of study, I would like to study Measles morbillivirus (MeV), commonly known as the measles virus/rubeola. It's an RNA virus that's in the genus Morbillivirus within the family Paramyxoviridae.