Measles REALITY

Measles Cases from 1838 to NOW

I am going to quote from a variety of sources from 1838 to 1986 to show
you what is said about measles so you can compare and see the
differences. Now they have made measles a 'killer'. Did it look like
a killer in the articles before the vaccine was out? You tell me.
Sheri

PS This [..] means text omitted in this area.

*******
1838 Hering, Constantine (father of American Homeopathy)
http://www.homeoinfo.com/02_history/people/hering.php (about Hering)

Homeopathic Domestic Physician
Part 1 in 1835 and Part 2 in 1838

Measles
Measles are usually preceded by catarrhal symptoms, such as profuse
watery flow from the eyes and nose; short, dry and distressing cough;
the eyes have a peculiar watery appearance, and become more or less
inflamed.

The fever at times becomes very high; nausea and vomiting often set
in, and there is pain n the pit of the stomach on pressure. The eyes
are more sensitive to light; the cough more violent and accompanied by
hoarseness and difficulty of breathing, and a feeling of tightness
across the chest.

In from two to five days the eruption appears as small red spots, of
an irregular shape, the size of a lentil and slightly raised above the
surface. The eruption makes its appearance n the throat about
twenty-four hours before it is seen externally on the skin; here it is
usually first seen about the head, near the borders of the hair, and on
the temples; then on the forehead, face and neck, from whence it spread
to the trunk and limbs.

If you press your finger upon a single spot, the redness will
disappear, but after taking off the finger, the redness will return,
first, in the middle and thence spread to the margin; in other similar
diseases, the redness returns in the reverse order, first on the margin
and then in the middle.

The red spots generally run together in patches; in about five days
from its first appearance it begins to die away, and gradually
disappears in the same order as it advanced. The cuticle (thin skin)
sometimes comes off in small bran-like scales, and the cough and other
catarrhal symptoms yield.

Aconitum, the chief medicine in this complaint, is especially
indicated when the fever is violent, with hot, dry skin; heat in the
head; giddiness; redness of the eyes and dread of light, and great
weakness.

Pulsatilla, when the catarrhal symptoms predominate, - when the
eruption is tardy in coming out; if it fails to produce an abatement,
Sulphur should be given, and afterwards Aconitum again.

Belladonna, when the throat becomes sore, attended with thirst,
difficulty of swallowing, shooting and pricking pains in the throat;
and also when there is dry, barking or spasmodic cough, worse at night,
with rattling of mucus; likewise in those cases where the eruption does
not appear, but there is headache and great inflammation of the eyes;
congestion towards the head.

Euphrasia, when the catarrhal symptoms, cough and inflammation of the
eyes, with great watering, are very prominent.
Ipecacuanha is most serviceable in arresting the vomiting; also when
there is oppression of the chest.

Bryonia, when the eruption is imperfectly developed, or when there is
congestion to the chest, with shooting pains or stitches, increased by
taking a deep inspiration; and violent dry cough. Sulphur in cases of
congestion or inflammation of the lungs. Arsenicum will be required if
the sickness or vomiting and oppression of the chest remain after the
use of Ipecacuanha. In the severe cases, with typhoid symptoms,
Arsenicum, Bryonia, Phosphorus and Rhus will be useful.

Measles frequently leave behind diseases more dangerous than
themselves; consequently great care is required in the after treatment.


In scrofulous children, troublesome swelling and inflammation of the
glands, especially those of the neck, are apt to occur; or the eyes may
be affected with diseases, difficult to cure, and the foundation be
laid for consumption of the lungs.

A form of disease known as German measles has been somewhat prevalent
in this country during the past few years. The affection is not
serious, and requires according to the symptoms the same remedies as
the true measles. It is to be distinguished from measles by the
appearance of the eruption, which is frequently somewhat similar to
that occurring in scarlet fever. The absence too of bronchitis is
notable, and the mildness of the entire attack is conspicuous.

From scarlet fever an attack of German measles is recognized by the
slight degree of fever and particularly by the presence of catarrhal
symptoms, which are absent in the former disease.

For the cough which frequently remains after measles, Bryonia,
Sulphur, Causticum, Hyoscyamus, Drosera, and other remedies,
recommended under ?Cough?, are serviceable. Swelling of the glands in
the neck requires Arnica, Dulcamara or Mercurius. Burning and itching
of the skin, Nux vomica, Sulphur and Arsenicum. Tenderness of the skin,
Mercurius.

When measles are prevailing as an epidemic, the administration of
Pulsatilla, every two or three days, on the first appearance of
catarrhal symptoms, should be disease be taken, may render it milder.

******
1908 Benson, A.R. Homeopathic Nursery Manual
REUEL A. BENSON, M. D. 8 West 19th St., New York. April, 1908.

Preface
This book was originally written for the use of my own patients and
nurses, among whom I have found a constant demand for such information
as the book contains. It has been largely the outgrowth of lectures
delivered in the Flower Hospital Training School for Nurses.

An effort has been made to write clearly and concisely, and to avoid
the common error of giving too much technical information. This is
especially true of the section on care during illness, as it is my
belief that a human life is too valuable to be trusted in any but
skilled hands. The therapeutic treatment is, therefore, purposely very
meagre.

The book is intended for the use of homoeopathic physicians and
homoeopathic families and all those who believe with me that a child
who has been properly fed and reared under the homoeopathic regime, is
physically better equipped for life than any other.

Measles (rubeola)
The onset of measles is decidedly different from that of the diseases
just described. The first symptoms to be noticed are a discharge from
the nose, usually attributed to a cold, and soreness and inflammation
of the eyes. There is a slight rise of temperature (101° - 102°), and
a dry, troublesome cough. Headache is sometimes present, but rarely
vomiting. The child is almost invariably cross and irritable, and cries
at the slightest provocation. During this time the throat, if examined,
appears dark red and congested. Sometimes small white dots with a dark
bluish base (Koplik's spots) may be detected on the inside of the
cheeks if examination is made for them in the daylight.

About four days after the first symptoms are noted the skin eruption
appears. It is apt to be seen first upon the chest and spreads rapidly
over the whole body, the temperature increasing until the rash is fully
developed. The rash is dark red, almost coppery in appearance, and the
spots appear to be slightly elevated on the surface of the skin. These
spots run together, but there are frequent areas of healthy skin, so
that the general appearance is mottled rather than the diffused redness
of scarlet fever. The eruption becomes darker, almost purplish, and
fades slowly. There is usually itching of the skin.

The cough and nasal symptoms often increase and cause much discomfort.
The eyes remain sore and severe inflammation of the conjunctiva may
result. The eruption remains for two or three days, and the temperature
falls rapidly as the eruption fades. During the acute stage of the
disease there is frequently stomach or intestinal disturbance, usually
in the form of diarrhoea. After the eruption fades, the skin peels, but
the flakes of skin are very fine and will not be detected unless
careful examination is made.

The eyes and ears are frequently infected in measles, and serious
inflammation of these organs is to be expected. The most frequent
complications, however, are bronchitis and pneumonia. Cough and
temperature existing after the eruption has disappeared should be
regarded with suspicion. The weakened lung tissue also provides fertile
soil for the tubercle bacilli, and many cases of pulmonary tuberculosis
are traceable to an attack of measles. The lowered vitality of the
child after measles enables the tubercle bacilli to obtain a strong
foothold.

It is not impossible for an individual to have more than one attack of
measles, but oftentimes one of these attacks is unrecognized German
measles.

Nursing : The child should be kept in bed during the attack, and care
should be taken to prevent a bright light from striking the eyes. It is
not necessary, however, to exclude fresh air, so long as the ordinary
precautions against taking cold are observed, nor should the child be
kept uncomfortably warm, as is so often done.

The eyes should be cleansed of all discharge with warm water, and the
nasal passages kept as free as possible. The skin may be anointed with
olive oil to prevent itching, or if this is not effective, the skin may
be dusted with powder.

The child may be given plenty of cool water to drink, but a liquid
diet should be insisted upon.

Bryonia may be given, a teaspoonful every hour, during the first
stages, especially if the cough is dry, hard and troublesome, if there
is much headache and the eruption is slow in appearing.

Chamomilla should be administered in the same way if the mental
symptoms predominate, if there is much irritability and fretfulness.
Arsenicum is indicated if there is gastric irritability with loose
movements, high fever, and excessive thirst.

It is of the utmost importance to allow a long period of convalescence
after measles. Many children are allowed to go out before they are
entirely well and frequently contract diseases of the lungs as a
result. Perhaps there is no other disease of childhood which leaves the
patient's vitality in such a lowered condition as measles, and for this
reason a long rest, preferably in the country, should follow an attack.
Frequent examination of the lungs should be made, and more than
ordinary care should be used to prevent taking cold.

********
1907 Century Book of Health

Says "When not complicated the disease is not at all fatal. Attendent
lung trouble make the case more serious. Black measles are more
generally fatal" ("Black measles is the name given to that form which
is marked by very dark colored eruption due to the presence of a form
of hemorrhage and in which the patient is prostrated. It is met with
in jails, camps and unsanitary dwellings"

Otherwise nothing is said about complications.

*********
1942 "International Modern Home Physician"
In an medical book I have - "International Modern Home Physician" from
1942, there is no panic given about measles.
It says at that time mostly affects children betwen the ages of 6
months and 2 years. [earlier than other sources I have seen....Sheri]
They talk about sometimes there being 'some complication' - "Severe
bronchitis is a common one, and it may go on to the lung disorder
called bronchopneumonia; or the patient may suffer from the other type
of pneumonia, lobar pneumonia, or from pleurisy and perhapsy empyema.
There is NO mention of encephalitis or death.

******
1954 "Essentials of Pediatrics" - Jeans, Wright & Blake

"The illness may be so severe that the child dies before the rash
appears, or the rash may be hemorrhagic"
[Again, showing how important it is to have the rash come out, or the
disease internalizes.........Sheri}
"Such severe varieties of measles are uncommon, and death seldom occurs
as a direct result of measles but as a result of complications" [..]

"Complications - Bronchopneumonia is the most important of the common
complications of measles. Otitis media, though frequent is not so
serious. [..] Nephritis is infrequent. Encephalitis, although not
common, occurs more frequently than formerly. It is a cause of death
in a few instances." [interesting.....what is different
now........these children have had DPT vaccine and smallpox.....is that
making a difference already?.....just thinking out loud.......Sheri]
"Complete recovery may be expected in more than half the cases,
residual defects of varying severity persisting in the remainder.
Measles is reputed to be an activator of pre-existing tuberculous
infection [this is mentioned by the homeopaths too......seeing TB
follow........certainly didn't happen in my experience as a pediatric
office assistant in the 60's and as a peds nurse in the 70's - however
I didn't see thousands.......Sheri]. In severe measles, as in any
other severe infection, the intoxication may be great enough to affect
the myocardium [heart muscle] and cause dilatation of the heart and a
rapid feeble pulse. If the circulation fails for this reason during
the eruptive state, the rash fades or even disappears [again the rash
going inward.......Sheri]. The popular fear of the "rash going in" has
no foundation except as theis even may be dependent on circulatory
function [already they are starting to delude themselves.......and
ignoring the wisdom of the previous century........Sheri] Keeping the
rash well out by the use of heavy clothing or a hot room is more of a
disadvantage than otherwise" [disadvantage for who???......Sheri]

Prognosis-The prognosis in measles is dependent in part on the age and
also on the previous condition of the child. The younger the child and
the poorer the physical condtion, the more likely the disease to result
seriously. In the general population, the mortality rate is seldom
more than from 4-5% and it is usually less. In a hospital where
children already are ill, especially in a ward for infants, the
mortality rate may be expected to be several times that in the general
population"
[..]
"All of the complications of measles except encephalomyelitis are the
result of bacterial invasion of mucous membrane surfaces which have
been debilitated by the infection with measles virus. Antibiotic
therapy controls these complications. In some instances antibiotics
are given during the febrile period of measles in order to forestall
bacterial invasion"

********
1973 - Merck Manual (the maker of the Measles vaccine)
"Complications - Pneumonia from streptococci, staphlococci, pneumococci
or HIB and bacterial otitis media [ear infection] are common. [..]
The most dreaded is encephalitis, which usually occurs 3-6 days after
onset of the exanthem [rash] but occasoinally occurs when the rash has
disappeared and only a slight cutaneous pigmentation remains. It is
ushered in by high fever, convulsions and coma. [..] The encephalitis
may be brief, with recovery in a week or so, or may be prolonged and
terminate in serious CNS impairment or death. Encephalitis is a rare
complicaiton in those caes of measles modified by immune serum globulin
(human), but the use of immune globulin in the treatment of
encephalitis has no proved value.

Prognosis - Measles is usually a benign infection with a low mortality
rate; one attack confers lifelong immunity. However, particularly in
infants, the disease may be followed by bronchopneumonia and other
bacterial infectsion. Post-measles encephalitis, which may be fatal
occurs once in 1200-1500 cases [now everyone says 1:1000
cases.......Sheri]

Treatment [..] For encephalitis, hydrocortison 100 - 300 mg/day by
parenteral injection occasionally results in prompt 924-96 hrs)
clearing of the sensorium and rapid amelioration of symptoms." [so now
they are used steroids to treat............do the steroids have an
effect on the death rate........I would think this is very
possible.........Sheri]

********
1986 - Clinical Nursing (Mosby's)
"Complications of the disease involve the respiratory tract and nervous
system. Pneumonia may result form direct invasion of the virus or by
secondary bacterial infectoin. Encephalitis resulting from direct
viral invasion of the brain affects many persons subclincially.
Pathologic specimens of brain tissue show demyelination [same as seen
in autism......Sheri]" [..] A large number of patients who recover are
lfet with neurologic sequelae."

Treatment includes antipyretics in this text. SSPE is mentioned for
the first time.
*****
Online, today - 2004
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/0/009...f?OpenDocument
"Complications are common, in 10 percent of cases (see Table 9.1,
section 9.6), and include otitis media, pneumonia, croup, or diarrhoea.
Encephalitis has been reported in 1 in every 1000 cases, of whom some
15 percent die and a further 25 to 35 percent are left with permanent
neurological damage. Other complications of measles include
bronchiolitis, sinusitis, myocarditis, corneal ulceration, mesenteric
adenitis, hepatitis and thrombocytopaenic purpura."

"Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare degenerative
central nervous system disease resulting from persistent measles virus
infection, is fatal. In the USA, where there is widespread measles
immunisation, this complication has virtually disappeared. The case
fatality rate for reported cases of measles in the USA is 1 in 1000.
Measles is particularly severe in the malnourished and in patients with
defective cell-mediated immunity, who may develop giant cell pneumonia
orencephalitis without evidence of rash, and have a much higher case
fatality rate. Measles is also serious in healthy children: over half
of all the children who died from measles in the UK between 1970 and
1983 were previously healthy.1 No other conditions were reported as
contributing to death of the seven people who died from measles in the
1991 New Zealand epidemic'

[Now they say complications are common. And the hype is huge

I'm trying to find info on 1970 -1983 in UK.
I have just spent hours trying to nail this down in the UK
They make this info so hard to find
Have spent the last 2 hours

Best I can come up with (I don't have excel and one of the stats pages
is in excel only)
The best I can come up with is in 1971 is 155,000 notifications of
measles and 28 deaths; in 1978 - 20 deaths - don't know the number of
notifications. And we don't know the number of true cases.

See below.........
http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/01/95/25/04019525.pdf
22.1.2 Fulfilment of criteria of a case definition is not a requirement
for notification of measles but recent experience shows that few cases,
notified according to clinical diagnosis, are measles. Correctly
diagnosed cases tend to be those occurring in older children and in
outbreaks. The presence of the following features may improve the
accuracy of clinical diagnosis: rash for at least three days, fever for
at least one day, and at least one of the following - cough, coryza or
conjunctivitis.
[..]

Complications of measles have been reported in one in 15 notified
cases, and include otitis media, bronchitis, pneumonia,
convulsions and encephalitis. Encephalitis has an incidence of one in
5000 cases, [very different than the 1 in 1000 spouted in the
US.........Sheri] has a mortality of about 15%, and 20% to 40% of
survivors have residual neurological sequelae. Electro-encephalographic
changes have been reported after apparently uncomplicated measles as
well as in cases with frank encephalitis. Complications are more common
and severe in poorly nourished and chronically ill children; it is
therefore particularly important that such children should be immunised
against measles.

[..]
Between 1970 and 1988, there continued to be an average of 13 acute
measles deaths each year.


[And they say 1/2 of the deaths were were healthy.....humm......need
more info - were they vaccinated, did they use drugs, fever
suppressants?........Sheri]


You will see huge variations in the numbers..........and notifications
of diseases is VERY different than actual cases

You will constantly see apples compared with oranges. It seems they
mix things up to keep it confused.


The worst outbreak in the last 15 years was in 1990 in UK, when there
were 27,786 cases and 89 deaths.


http://www.whale.to/y/stats/measlesdeaths.html
Chart for Measles Deaths in UK

Case reporting unreliable

http://www.whale.to/vaccines/measles3.html
GPS MISDIAGNOSE MEASLES IN 97% OF CASES

They all compare apples with oranges - notifications, cases, deaths,
England, Wales, UK - all different graphs that don't compare the same
with the same.

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBas...nk=2&Rank=1000
ANYONE have EXCEL who can go to this site and get the info??????????
Email me years and notifications and actual cases and deaths for 1971 -
1990 if you can

http://www.whale.to/y/stats/icd8measles.html
28 Deaths



*********
So you see a progression in the above reports from 1838 to 1973 to 1986
to NOW........what is new in 1954 - better sanitation and nutrition
(maybe), increase in consumption of sugar, vaccinated for Smallpx and
DPT in 1954, antibiotic use (suppression?), and sedatives used for
cough, fever is controlled by hydrotherapy. Probably other factors I'm
not thinking of. Just guesswork. And by 1973, much mention of
encephalitis barely mentioned early on. And treatment with steroids
(also aspirin in use at this time for fever, etc) and Measles Vaccine
is out. Same in 1986......does that make a difference in how measles
is portrayed? Or did it change? Did children become more depleted in
Vitamin A? Never mentioned in the above as a treatment. And such a
manipulation of stats. What a mess.........that's all I can see.

Certainly not scientific.
But generally do you see a huge problem after you have waded through
all of this?
Sheri

Sheri Nakken RN, MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath wrote:
Measles Cases from 1838 to NOW

I am going to quote from a variety of sources from 1838 to 1986 to show
you what is said about measles so you can compare and see the
differences. Now they have made measles a 'killer'. Did it look like
a killer in the articles before the vaccine was out? You tell me.
Sheri

Measles has been killing people, mostly children, for a long time.
Until 5 or so years ago, about 700,000 people died each year. With the
Measles Initiative to vaccinate children in Africa, this number is now
down to about 450,000 deaths per year. The Measles Initiative is now
being started in Asia, so the number of deaths should start to decline
even more.

If there's anything good about measles it's that it can only infect
humans; it can be eradicated just like smallpox and polio (real soon).
Then we won't have to vaccinate anyone against measles. Won't that be a
good thing?

Vaccine-man wrote:


Measles has been killing people, mostly children, for a long time.
Until 5 or so years ago, about 700,000 people died each year. With the
Measles Initiative to vaccinate children in Africa, this number is now
down to about 450,000 deaths per year. The Measles Initiative is now
being started in Asia, so the number of deaths should start to decline
even more.

If there's anything good about measles it's that it can only infect
humans; it can be eradicated just like smallpox and polio (real soon).
Then we won't have to vaccinate anyone against measles. Won't that be a
good thing?

can't make any money off of VITAMIN A that would help most children and
prevent any complications.
no, can't make any money
http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane/revabstr/AB001479.htm
From The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Chichester, UK: John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vitamin A for treating measles in children (Cochrane Review)

You know, I really get sick of hearing these kinds of numbers trotted
out.
There is no way anyone knows anything about deaths in Africa.
No one keeps track.
You actually believe these numbers?

I'll post more on research I did on numbers - one website had more
deaths from measles than it had cases of measles

And we know the lies about the death from flu in the US

ALL TO SELL VACCINE

If US and UK & others would stop raping their countries and help them
clean up their water and help them to grow food again, then children
would not be dying. There is no way that anyone knows numbers of
anything, least of all which ones died of measles.

You just don't get it and you never will. Diseases are NOT bad. They
help you to build your immune system in childhood.

You prove those numbers to me

I'm sure you will read through this whole thing

Showing the unreliability of numbers

Online research I did in 2000


http://primarycare.medscape.com/govm.../4748.03/tab-4
748.03-01.html
URL no longer works
And this chart gives
290,942 REPORTED cases of measles in Africa in 1997 &
11,439,541 Estimated cases in 1997 (and where do they get this estimate
from)
549,125 deaths from measles in Africa in 1997 (it would seem to mean
that
if the deaths from measles were reported they should be included in the
reported cases which are only 290,942

Is there something wrong with this picture????

And this one I did at the same time on just Nigeria


I find it very interesting
http://www.unfoundation.org/grants/1_5_measles.cfm (URL no longer
works)
United Nations Foundation - Childrens Health - Grants
Says this about measles in Nigeria....(glad they are doing VITAMIN A
but....

Vitamin A Deficiency in Nigeria
© UNICEF/DO194-0243
© UNICEF/DO194-0243

Press
Agency Funded:
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Amount Funded:
$1 million over one year
Approved:
May 1998

Measles continues to be a leading cause of death among children in
Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, despite the fact that it
is a
preventable disease. Every year approximately 108,000 Nigerian children
die of the illness, which is roughly 13 percent of the worldwide
measles
death toll. Fewer than 40 percent of the 4 million Nigerian children
born
each year are vaccinated for measles by their first birthday. The death
toll is augmented by an uncommonly high incidence of vitamin A
deficiency in Nigeria, which leaves children more vulnerable to
infections
of all kinds.


And then this LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WEBSITE ON NIGERIA doesn't even
mention
MEASLES AS A MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH - it is data of 1991! ....
http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-9393.html

Nigeria

Primary Health Care Policies

In August 1987, the federal government launched its Primary Health Care
plan (PHC), which President Ibrahim Babangida announced as the
cornerstone
of health policy. Intended to affect the entire national population,
its
main stated objectives
included accelerated health care personnel development; improved
collection
and monitoring of health data; ensured availability of essential drugs
in
all areas of the country; implementation of an Expanded Programme on
Immunization (EPI); improved
nutrition throughout the country; promotion of health awareness;
development of a national family health program; and widespread
promotion
of oral rehydration therapy for treatment of diarrheal disease in
infants
and children. Implementation of
these programs was intended to take place mainly through collaboration
between the Ministry of Health and participating local government
councils,
which received direct grants from the federal government.

Of these objectives, the EPI was the most concrete and probably made
the
greatest progress initially. The immunization program focused on four
major
childhood diseases: pertussis, diphtheria, measles, and polio, and
tetanus
and tuberculosis. Its
aim was to increase dramatically the proportion of immunized children
younger than two from about 20 percent to 50 percent initially, and to
90
percent by the end of 1990. Launched in March 1988, the program by
August
1989 was said to have been
established in more than 300 of 449 LGAs. Although the program was said
to
have made much progress, its goal of 90 percent coverage was probably
excessively ambitious, especially in view of the economic strains of
structural adjustment that
permeated the Nigerian economy throughout the late 1980s.

The government's population control program also came partially under
the
PHC. By the late 1980s, the official policy was strongly to encourage
women
to have no more than four children, which would represent a substantial
reduction from the
estimated fertility rate of almost seven children per woman in 1987. No
official sanctions were attached to the government's population policy,
but
birth control information and contraceptive supplies were available in
many
health facilities.

The federal government also sought to improve the availability of
pharmaceutical drugs. Foreign exchange had to be released for essential
drug imports, so the government attempted to encourage local drug
manufacture; because raw materials for local
drug manufacture had to be imported, however, costs were reduced only
partially. For Nigeria both to limit its foreign exchange expenditures
and
simultaneously to implement massive expansion in primary health care,
foreign assistance would probably be
needed. Despite advances against many infectious diseases, Nigeria's
population continued through the 1980s to be subject to several major
diseases, some of which occurred in acute outbreaks causing hundreds or
thousands of deaths, while others
recurred chronically, causing large-scale infection and debilitation.
Among
the former were cerebrospinal meningitis, yellow fever, Lassa fever
and,
most recently, AIDS; the latter included malaria, guinea worm,
schistosomiasis (bilharzia), and
onchocerciasis (river blindness). Malnutrition and its attendant
diseases
also continued to be a refractory problem among infants and children in
many areas, despite the nation's economic and agricultural advances.

Among the worst of the acute diseases was cerebrospinal meningitis, a
potentially fatal inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal
cord, which can recur in periodic epidemic outbreaks. Northern Nigeria
is
one of the most heavily populated
regions in what is considered the meningitis belt of Africa, stretching
from Senegal to Sudan and all areas having a long dry season and low
humidity between December and April. The disease plagued the northern
and
middle belt areas in 1986 and
1989, generally appearing during the cool, dry harmattan season when
people
spend more time indoors, promoting contagious spread. Paralysis, and
often
death, can occur within forty-eight hours of the first symptoms.

In response to the outbreaks, the federal and state governments in 1989
attempted mass immunization in the affected regions. Authorities
pointed,
however, to the difficulty of storing vaccines in the harsh conditions
of
northern areas, many of which also
had poor roads and inadequate medical facilities.

Beginning in November 1986 and for several months thereafter, a large
outbreak of yellow fever occurred in scattered areas. The most heavily
affected were the states of Oyo, Imo, Anambra, and Cross River in the
south, Benue and Niger in the middle
belt, and Kaduna and Sokoto in the north. There were at least several
hundred deaths. Fourteen million doses of vaccine were distributed with
international assistance, and the outbreak was brought under control.


Lassa fever, a highly contagious and virulent viral disease, appeared
periodically in the 1980s in various areas. The disease was first
identified in 1969 in the northeast Nigerian town of Lassa. It is
believed
that rats and other rodents are reservoirs of the
virus, and that transmission to humans can occur through droppings or
food
contamination in and around homes. Mortality rates can be high, and
there
is no known treatment.

The presence of AIDS in Nigeria was officially confirmed in 1987,
considerably later than its appearance and wide dispersion in much of
East
and Central Africa. In March 1987, the minister of health announced
that
tests of a pool of blood samples
collected from high risk groups had turned up two confirmed cases of
AIDS,
both HIV Type-1 strains. Subsequently, HIV-2, a somewhat less virulent
strain found mainly in West Africa, was also confirmed. In 1990 the
infection rate for either virus in
Nigeria was thought to be below 1 percent of the population.

Less dramatic than the acute infectious diseases but often equally
destructive were a host of chronic diseases that were serious and
widespread but only occasionally resulted in death. Of these the most
common was malaria, including cerebral malaria,
which can be fatal. The guinea worm parasite, which is spread through
ingestion of contaminated water, is endemic in many rural areas,
causing
recurring illness and occasionally permanently crippling its victims.
The
World Health Organization (WHO)
in 1987 estimated that there were 3 million cases of guinea worm in
Nigeria--about 2 percent of the world total of 140 million cases-
-making
Nigeria the nation with the highest number of guinea worm cases. In
affected areas, guinea worm and related
complications were estimated to be the major cause of work and school
absenteeism.

Virtually all affected states had campaigns under way to eradicate the
disease through education and provision of pure drinking water supplies
to
rural villages. The government has set an ambitious target of full
eradication by 1995, with extensive
assistance from the Japanese government, Global 2000, and numerous
other
international donors.

The parasitic diseases onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis, both
associated
with bodies of water, were found in parts of Nigeria. Onchocerciasis is
caused by filarial worms transmitted by small black flies that
typically
live and breed near rapidly
flowing water. The worms can damage the eyes and optic nerve and can
cause
blindness by young adulthood or later. In some villages near the Volta
River tributaries where the disease is endemic, up to 20 percent of
adults
older than thirty are blind
because of the disease. Most control efforts have focused on a dual
strategy of treating the sufferers and trying to eliminate the flies,
usually with insecticide sprays. The flies and the disease are most
common
in the lowland savanna areas of the middle belt.

Schistosomiasis is caused by blood flukes, which use freshwater snails
as
an intermediate host and invade humans when the larvae penetrate the
skin
of people entering a pond, lake, or stream in which the snails live.
Most
often, schistosomiasis results
in chronic debilitation rather than acute illness.

Data as of June 1991
***
Another chart on measles incidence in Africa

http://www.netspace.org/ftpspace/Hun...al/measles.txt

URL no longer works
Here it lists

Table 2.2.1: AFRICAN REGION
REPORTED ANNUAL INCIDENCE OF MEASLES
COUNTRY / AREA 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
------------------------------------------------------------------

32 Nigeria 33678 115682 44026 85058

So at the most there were 115682 cases of measles in Nigeria in 1990
The Unicef site said 108,000 children die every year of measles - so
nearly
everyone died in 1990. But what about the other years - there weren't
even
108,000 cases.
Just to show you about these stats!
Sheri


Table 2.2.1: AFRICAN REGION
REPORTED ANNUAL INCIDENCE OF MEASLES
COUNTRY / AREA 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Algeria 4169 1796 5969 8823
2 Angola 18584 29069 18382 11561
3 Benin 3281 593 3227
4 Botswana 3711 1218 565 566
5 Burkina Faso 7474 9804 6126 4486 14890
6 Burundi 28014 13282 10397 22344
7 Cameroon 19259 26910 14622 27057
8 Cape Verde 1 0 7 0
9 Cen. Afr. Rep. 331 1275 3644 449
10 Chad 7469 7316 21182 9358

11 Comores 170 2328 9 0
12 Congo 498 3608 4042 4302
13 Cote d'Ivoire 18660 17799 9902
14 Equat. Guinea 582 32 32 297
15 Ethiopia 4169 1836 497
16 Gabon 1780 738
17 Gambia 110 365
18 Ghana 19997 17135
19 Guinea 4152 12756 6708 1617 5228
20 Guinea-Bissau 106 259 2350 842

21 Kenya 86727 77072 44543
22 Lesotho 1378 2195 2351 670
23 Liberia 1866
24 Madagascar 29654 14459
25 Malawi 93100 5730
26 Mali 3678 1248 13473 6081
27 Mauritania 5032 1379 4601 5110
28 Mauritius 0 1 0 7
29 Mozambique 23036 18296 4983 3148
30 Namibia 6874

31 Niger 22932 20463 85048 23726
32 Nigeria 33678 115682 44026 85058
33 Reunion
34 Rwanda 5429 8970 5820 17429
35 Sao Tome & Prin. 0
36 Senegal 10940 5004 11476 15195
37 Seychelles 5 13 6 0
38 Sierra Leone 625 830 284 914
39 St. Helena
40 Swaziland 1465 1469 467 1569

41 Tanzania 7033 14920 3047 10303
42 Togo 3499 4548 7544
43 Uganda 660 2637
44 Zaire 7571 63
45 Zambia 5747 6748 922
46 Zimbabwe 47509 13728 24090 1052
------------------------------------------------------------------
Regional Total 533971 439688 335218 317958 20118
No. of countries 41 36 36 33 3
% of countries 89 78 78 72 7
South Africa 18268 10624 4777 22717 6495
Total 552239 450312 339995 340675 26613







25-Mar-94
**************

Where are on earth can you get reliable data of actual numbers - I
really
don't see how in Africa that is even possible!

"Sheri Nakken RN, MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath"
wrote:


Vaccine-man wrote:


Measles has been killing people, mostly children, for a long time.
Until 5 or so years ago, about 700,000 people died each year. With the
Measles Initiative to vaccinate children in Africa, this number is now
down to about 450,000 deaths per year. The Measles Initiative is now
being started in Asia, so the number of deaths should start to decline
even more.

If there's anything good about measles it's that it can only infect
humans; it can be eradicated just like smallpox and polio (real soon).
Then we won't have to vaccinate anyone against measles. Won't that be a
good thing?

can't make any money off of VITAMIN A that would help most children and
prevent any complications.
no, can't make any money
http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane/revabstr/AB001479.htm
From The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Chichester, UK: John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vitamin A for treating measles in children (Cochrane Review)

That link is dead, but here is what the report actually said:

Plain language summary
Two megadoses of vitamin A lowers the risk of death from measles in
hospitalized children under the age of two years, but not in all
children with measles

Measles is caused by a virus and results in a high fever and rash.
Possible complications include pneumonia. Measles is a major cause of
death in children in developing countries and is particularly
dangerous for children with a vitamin A deficiency. This review found
that there was no significant reduction in mortality in children
receiving vitamin when all the studies were pooled together. However,
vitamin A megadoses (200,000 international units on each of two days)
lowered the number of deaths from measles in hospitalized children who
were under the age of two years. A single dose did not lower death
rates.

So megadoses of Vitamin A might be effective for CHILDREN WITH A
VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY, and then only reduces the risk of death, not the
other unpleasant sequelae of measles. Why am I not surprised that a
quackery puffer should misrepresent scientific research?

http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.co...479/frame.html

(This page might not be available to everyone. I can get to it because
the Australian government funds availability to the Cochrane Library
for everyone with an Australian IP address.)


You know, I really get sick of hearing these kinds of numbers trotted
out.
There is no way anyone knows anything about deaths in Africa.
No one keeps track.
You actually believe these numbers?

I'll post more on research I did on numbers - one website had more
deaths from measles than it had cases of measles

URL please.

And we know the lies about the death from flu in the US

ALL TO SELL VACCINE

If US and UK & others would stop raping their countries and help them
clean up their water and help them to grow food again, then children
would not be dying. There is no way that anyone knows numbers of
anything, least of all which ones died of measles.

You just don't get it and you never will. Diseases are NOT bad.

And this woman calls me disturbed?

They
help you to build your immune system in childhood.

You prove those numbers to me
--
Peter Bowditch aa #2243
The Millenium Project http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Australian Council Against Health Fraud http://www.acahf.org.au
Australian Skeptics http://www.skeptics.com.au
To email me use my first name only at ratbags.com

How about providing evidence that your sources were accurate?

According to the CDC, about 450 measles-associated deaths occured each year
between 1953 and 1963. Sure, the vast majority of people with measles
recovered completely, as I did. But not all did.

Jeff

Peter Bowditch wrote:
"Sheri Nakken RN, MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath"
wrote:

Vaccine-man wrote:

Measles has been killing people, mostly children, for a long time.
Until 5 or so years ago, about 700,000 people died each year. With the
Measles Initiative to vaccinate children in Africa, this number is now
down to about 450,000 deaths per year. The Measles Initiative is now
being started in Asia, so the number of deaths should start to decline
even more.

If there's anything good about measles it's that it can only infect
humans; it can be eradicated just like smallpox and polio (real soon).
Then we won't have to vaccinate anyone against measles. Won't that be a
good thing?
can't make any money off of VITAMIN A that would help most children and
prevent any complications.
no, can't make any money
http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane/revabstr/AB001479.htm
From The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Chichester, UK: John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Vitamin A for treating measles in children (Cochrane Review)

That link is dead, but here is what the report actually said:

Plain language summary
Two megadoses of vitamin A lowers the risk of death from measles in
hospitalized children under the age of two years, but not in all
children with measles

Measles is caused by a virus and results in a high fever and rash.
Possible complications include pneumonia. Measles is a major cause of
death in children in developing countries and is particularly
dangerous for children with a vitamin A deficiency. This review found
that there was no significant reduction in mortality in children
receiving vitamin when all the studies were pooled together. However,
vitamin A megadoses (200,000 international units on each of two days)
lowered the number of deaths from measles in hospitalized children who
were under the age of two years. A single dose did not lower death
rates.

So megadoses of Vitamin A might be effective for CHILDREN WITH A
VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY, and then only reduces the risk of death, not the
other unpleasant sequelae of measles. Why am I not surprised that a
quackery puffer should misrepresent scientific research?

http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.co...479/frame.html

(This page might not be available to everyone. I can get to it because
the Australian government funds availability to the Cochrane Library
for everyone with an Australian IP address.)

The link worked just fine, so I doubt Sheri will have that as an excuse
for not reading it.

You know, I really get sick of hearing these kinds of numbers trotted
out.
There is no way anyone knows anything about deaths in Africa.
No one keeps track.
You actually believe these numbers?

I'll post more on research I did on numbers - one website had more
deaths from measles than it had cases of measles

URL please.

Agreed. That would be interesting, but, what would it prove? That one
website was full of crap? It really does not change anything.

And we know the lies about the death from flu in the US

ALL TO SELL VACCINE

If US and UK & others would stop raping their countries and help them
clean up their water and help them to grow food again, then children
would not be dying. There is no way that anyone knows numbers of
anything, least of all which ones died of measles.

You just don't get it and you never will. Diseases are NOT bad.

And this woman calls me disturbed?

She claims to be former nurse. Has anyone ever seen her in a nursing
uniform?

They
help you to build your immune system in childhood.

You prove those numbers to me

"Mark Probert" wrote in message
news:8Fp_g.2505$PA3.2055@trndny04...
....snip..
She claims to be former nurse. Has anyone ever seen her in a nursing
uniform?
....

She has problems with reading comprehension (she did not understand the
Times Online article about the boys crippled by measles who could not be
vaccinated because they had had organ transplants, and why herd immunity is
important for these types of children) and with basic math (she did not
understand that 0.2% was the same as 1 in 500). I suspect that she had
trouble renewing her license in the state of California:
http://www.rn.ca.gov/coned/ce-renewal.htm

"Sheri Nakken RN, MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath"
wrote in message
ups.com...
Measles Cases from 1838 to NOW

.....snip...

You seem to equate measles deaths to poverty. When I showed you this study
about the level of mortality between 1987 and 1992 in the United States of
America (which is not exactly poor):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...ubmed_docs um
.... You responded you only saw problems with extreme poverty (and failed to
address the other parts of the message).

Roald Dahl had a child die from measles. Was Roald Dahl extremely poor?
See:
http://www.blacktriangle.org/blog/?p=715

If you don't know who Roald Dahl is, check out his website:
http://www.roalddahl.com/

HCN wrote:
"Mark Probert" wrote in message
news:8Fp_g.2505$PA3.2055@trndny04...
...snip..
She claims to be former nurse. Has anyone ever seen her in a nursing
uniform?
...

She has problems with reading comprehension (she did not understand the
Times Online article about the boys crippled by measles who could not be
vaccinated because they had had organ transplants, and why herd immunity is
important for these types of children) and with basic math (she did not
understand that 0.2% was the same as 1 in 500).

Quite true. Her comprehension and mathematical skills are significantly
limited as she demonstrated. She would rather pontificate and post cut
and paste jobs.

I suspect that she had
trouble renewing her license in the state of California:
http://www.rn.ca.gov/coned/ce-renewal.htm

Now, let's be fair. According to the California Nursing Board, she
allowed her license to expire.

http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=303112&P _LTE_ID=828

Of course, if we want to do the Bolen thing, we could refer to her the
the delicensed former nurse. But, that would mean stooping to a level
that would cause back injuries no chiropractor could address.