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Measles Outbreak Email

From: SDnurse@hospital.edu

To: pediatrician@hospital.edu

Subject: Measles Awareness

Dear Dr. Henry

Good evening, I write to inform you about the recent outbreak in the United States.
Having been declared measles-free in 2000, it is sad that measles has again found its way back in
the country. While there have been outbreaks of the disease in other parts of the world, reasons
for the diseases’ outbreak in the US are wholly different.

In other countries, the outbreak of the disease can be linked to various social
determinants of health. These are social and economic conditions that influence differences in
health statuses of groups and individuals (Artiga & Hinton, 2019). They include social exclusion,
income, food, and stress. In the case of measles, social exclusion has been found to be a major
cause of disparities in vaccine intake. In many countries where there has been an outbreak, the
outbreak was mainly among groups that suffered social exclusion such as the Roma communities
in Eastern Europe and some indigenous communities in South and Central America.

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In the U.S., however, the outbreak cannot be attributed to any social determinant of
health. Instead, misinformation spread over the internet disputing the safety of measles/mumps
vaccine has been identified as the main cause of the current outbreak (Brown, 2019). Despite
strong evidence supporting safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, parents with conspiracy
theory mind-sets have refused to have their children get vaccinated on suspicion that the measles
vaccine may cause autism in their children.

Due to their avoidance of the measles vaccine, the affected children are likely to exhibit
poor health indicators. It has been shown that even in wealthy countries such as the US, measles
can result in prolonged hospitalizations, blindness, brain damage, loss of hearing, and even
disability (Brown, 2019). Granted, given America’s advanced healthcare system, it is unlikely
that kids who contract measles may die from it. However, the health problems listed above may
result in lowered life expectancy.

The measles outbreak is, therefore, a major public health problem. I hope you will join
efforts to help in spreading awareness about the disease and fighting disinformation about the
safety of measles vaccine.

Regards

Name of the Student

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References

Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2019). Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in promoting
health and health equity. Health, 20, 10.

Brown,D. (September 28, 2019). In 2000 measles had been officially ‘eliminated’ in the U.S.
Will that change? Washington Post. Retrieved on 6 th November, 2019 from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/in-2000-measles-had-been-officially-eliminated-
in-the-us-will-that-change/2019/09/27/56ac487a-deed-11e9-b199-
f638bf2c340f_story.html