
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 4, 1991                   TAG: 9103040302
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MEASLES/ COMEBACK OF AN OLD HEALTH FOE

MEASLES, a highly contagious disease that can be deadly, has reached epidemic proportions in some areas of the country in the last couple of years. Thus far, Virginia has been lucky not to have had a major outbreak of the disease, such as that seen in Philadelphia (where six children recently died from it) and in several other areas, including in Maryland and North Carolina.

But the centuries-old malady, which many thought had disappeared after a vaccine became available in 1963, is coming back. Virginia parents should take steps to protect their children, especially at-risk preschoolers.

In 1990, there were 27,000 reported cases in the nation (up from 1,500 in 1983) and 65 measles-related deaths. In Virginia, there were 86 cases (fortunately, none fatal), up from 20 in 1989.

State health officials say there have been no reports of measles in Virginia this year. But, at the urging of the federal Centers For Disease Control, they asked the General Assembly to enact a bill requiring that children receive a second dose of measles vaccine prior to entering kindergarten or the first grade of school. (A single dose fails to provide lifelong immunity from measles in some individuals.)

That bill now awaits the governor's signature. The CDC will make about $500,000 in federal funds available to Virginia to pay for the second dose.

But the legislation is no substitute for parental responsibility. Current state law requires that every child be immunized against measles, mumps and German measles (rubella) before the age of 2. But, practically speaking, the law is unenforceable during a child's early years. Only when a youngster is ready for school must parents show documentation of required immunizations.

As a result, many postpone vaccinations until school time, leaving young children vulnerable to disease. Health officials say this is a key factor in the recent epidemics.

Because doctors are seeing increased cases of measles among those in their teens, the American Academy of Pediatrics believes a second dose of the vaccine would be most effective given at age 12. Ideally, health officials say, follow-up doses should be given at about the ages of 5, 12 and 18. But public funding hasn't been made available for multiple repeat doses.

Meanwhile, parents can help prevent a measles epidemic in Virginia by adhering to the law and seeing that their toddlers are immunized. The vaccine is available from private physicians or at local health departments, where there is no charge for it, regardless of parents' ability to pay.

Children deserve to be protected from this preventable disease.

by CNB