Block expert says measles could be the first of a resurgence of diseases – Block News

As measles cases rise across the country, a Brock University immunologist says measles is highly contagious. This could be just the beginning of a resurgence of other vaccine-preventable diseases.

“Unfortunately, I think measles is just a precursor,” says Adam McNeil, associate professor of immunology and director of the Inflammation and Immunology Laboratory at Brock University. His research investigates how immunity interacts with viruses, allergens, and people's life experiences.

“Measles is truly the most contagious disease and will be the first to make its presence known to the world.In the next few years, it will become vaccine-preventable and virtually eradicated from our communities.” “Other diseases may emerge,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Measles spreads quickly and is easily prevented with two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is usually given in childhood.

Unlike severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has evolved during the pandemic and required modern vaccine formulations, the measles virus has not changed and there is no vaccine, McNeil says. .

“We know a great deal about measles, how it works and how it is transmitted. We also know that 95 per cent vaccination coverage is needed to prevent community transmission. I understand,” he says. “what have What has changed is the social context. After several years of living through a pandemic and widely discussing vaccination in a highly politically charged environment, there is understandably a degree of fatigue surrounding the topic. ”

Interrupted or missed medical appointments and the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation are reducing the number of children who keep their childhood immunization schedules up to date.

McNeil said that despite the measles vaccination's 98% effectiveness rate, more and more people have become reluctant to get vaccinated in recent years, focusing on the extremely rare harmful risks of vaccination and not relying on scientific evidence. He said some people make decisions based on ideological beliefs.

“This is a safe and effective vaccine,” he says. “The risk of adverse outcomes is extremely rare compared to the potential for exposure to the pathogen, especially as measles outbreaks are currently increasing across the country.”

Some people minimize the effects of contracting measles.

“Some may argue that measles is no big deal, but it can cause so many problems, including immune amnesia, which can impair the quality of the immune response to other pathogens. Yes,” he says. “It could lead to more serious infections in the future.”

One of the main problems with public perception about vaccination is that people don't realize when they're protected from the disease, McNeil said. Vaccines are usually given to healthy people, while treatments such as antibiotics to treat bacterial infections are given in cases of illness. Unhealthy people see and feel that they are getting better and are grateful for it, but vaccinated people who have been exposed to the virus are unaware of their body's adaptive response to the virus.

He said this while sitting in a restaurant across the street from someone who is a vaccinated, healthy person who doesn't yet know he's sick but is spewing the virus into the air. He gives an example of people unknowingly inhaling the measles virus in the air.

“They are unaware of the all-out war their immune systems wage to fight the viral invaders, so they are immune to the consequences,” he says. “The credit for vaccination is more appreciated at the community level than at the individual level.”

McNeil said he is vaccinated, if not for himself, to prevent the spread of the disease and protect the most vulnerable, including those with weakened immune systems and children who are too young to receive the first dose of the MMR vaccine. I encourage people to take it.

“There is altruism in vaccination,” he says. “We should look out for our neighbors and do what we can to keep our communities healthy and thriving.”