Disability and Progress-May 30, 2024-Measles!

[00:00:00] Speaker A: KPI.org. [00:01:09] Speaker B: And greetings. Thank you for joining disability and progress, where we bring you insights into ideas about and discussions on disability topics. My name is Sam. I'm the host of this show. I'd like to remind you that the shows that we do each week will be on the archives for two weeks, and you can also hear them on podcast if you missed that. So please feel free to listen to those. And if you want to be on my email list, you can email [email protected]. dot. Charlene Dahl is my research and PR person. Hello Charlene. [00:01:46] Speaker C: Hello everybody on this beautiful. I guess it's still spring in Minnesota. [00:01:53] Speaker B: Yes, May 30. Still spring. And Erin is my podcaster. Thank you, Erin. And tonight we have Doctor Susan Klein. Doctor Klein is an MD and PhD. She is a professor of medicine in the division of infectious Diseases and international medicine at the University of Minnesota school. And we're talking about measles. Seems to be insane that we're getting more of outbreaks that I'm hearing. Thanks for joining us, Doctor Klein. [00:02:33] Speaker A: Thank you. Thanks for inviting me. Yeah, and I just wanted to correct the credentials if I could. You gave me an extra degree. I have an MD and I have a MPH, which is a master's in public health but not a PhD. [00:02:49] Speaker B: Sorry, sorry, sorry. [00:02:50] Speaker A: That's okay. [00:02:52] Speaker B: Hey, I would have never known. Well, thank you anyway for joining us. So let's start out by explaining. Can you explain what measles is and what causes it? [00:03:10] Speaker A: Yes. Measles is a viral respiratory illness and it's caused by the measles virus. [00:03:20] Speaker B: And what are like common symptoms of measles? [00:03:25] Speaker A: Well, the common symptoms that begin early on before onset of rash are fever, which can be quite high. Somewhere in the 101, up to 100, 405 degree range, patients will feel ill and then they can develop cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis, which is like pink eye. [00:03:53] Speaker B: Ah, pinky. Well, a lot of things seem to be equating to pink eye lately. Somebody got bird flu and they decided discovered it with pink eye. Like, what's up with that? So how is measles diagnosed? [00:04:07] Speaker A: Well, the best way to diagnose it is to catch it in the early stages, and that's usually in the first one to three days of rash. So after those initial symptoms of the fever, cough, runny nose, people develop a rash which can start on the face and neck and then spread onto the rest of their body. And really the best time to diagnose it is in the first one to three days of that rash and to get a throat swab, or what we call a nasopharyngeal swab, which is a swab that goes in the nose and then down into the throat, similar to what we used for diagnosing Covid-19. And also they can do a blood test to check for antibodies and see if somebody has a certain type of antibody, which tells you this is a new infection for them, not an old infection. And then later you can also collect a urine sample. [00:05:14] Speaker B: Oh, really? [00:05:15] Speaker A: To test for the measles virus? [00:05:17] Speaker B: I had no idea. If somebody thinks they have it and they've gone past the three day mark, they might test another way. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Yes. And so if they're concerned they have it, they should still seek medical attention and we could do some additional testing. They could still try to get the throat swab, but also do the urine test and the blood test. [00:05:42] Speaker B: So you talked about fever and what's a dangerous fever? That means, hey, you should be getting medical help. [00:05:55] Speaker A: Well, you know, really, it depends on what the other symptoms are, too. Certainly if a fever is getting as high as 104, 105, you know, that alone should prompt medical attention. But if somebody has even the lower fever, like 101, but they have all these other symptoms, especially if they develop a rash, I would recommend that they seek medical attention to try to determine what's causing the fever and rash. [00:06:25] Speaker B: So how contagious is measles and how does it spread? [00:06:31] Speaker A: Measles is very contagious, actually, it's one of the most contagious infectious diseases because it is spread on the respiratory droplets, like if someone coughs or sneezes or contact with their saliva. But also it can become airborne. The virus can spread through the air. And if someone is in a room, for instance, that has measles, that virus can stay in the room for up to 2 hours and then still infect other people who come into the room and breathe that same air. [00:07:10] Speaker B: So is that contagious similar to that contagion? Similar to chickenpox? [00:07:15] Speaker A: Yes, you're right. Chickenpox virus is also spread through the air like that. [00:07:20] Speaker B: I'm a mom. So does measles itch like chickenpox? [00:07:28] Speaker A: No, this is a little different. It can be an uncomfortable rash, but not necessarily itchy so much. It can be quite extensive in that it can cover larger areas of skin and it's redder, flatter rash and doesn't have the typical blisters or pustules that chicken pox has. Ah. [00:07:54] Speaker B: So if somebody is, you know, discovers they have it, how long are they contagious for? [00:08:03] Speaker A: That's a really good question. So they can be contagious for four days before the rash develops. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:08:11] Speaker A: So just in those early stages when it's hard to know what you have. Right. Like just fever, runny nose. But then they can stay contagious for four days after the rash onset. So they can be contagious for about eight days. [00:08:30] Speaker B: And who is most at risk for getting measles if we're contacting this? [00:08:36] Speaker A: Well, really it's those people who have never been vaccinated and are non immune. So people who have never had measles or never been vaccinated, and people who are young babies in particular, are least likely to be vaccinated. So they're at the greatest risk because in this country, it's usually recommended that babies get their first dose of measles mumps rubella vaccine at age twelve months to 15 months. [00:09:08] Speaker B: And is it just a. It's a series, right? [00:09:11] Speaker A: It is a series, yep. And it's usually recommended that people get two vaccines and that first one after they turn a year old in the first few months after they turn a year, and then a second dose before they start kindergarten. [00:09:30] Speaker B: What complications can arise from a measles infection? [00:09:35] Speaker A: Well, there can be serious complications that can include pneumonia, and it can cause infection of the brain called encephalitis. And those two complications can be severe and life threatening and can lead to death. [00:09:53] Speaker B: I see. So it'd be complications that arose from measles that might cause a person to die, not actually measles. [00:10:02] Speaker A: Well, it's the complications that the measles virus causes. [00:10:07] Speaker B: Ah, gotcha. [00:10:08] Speaker A: You see, in some people that measles virus goes deep into the lung tissue and causes pneumonia. And in some people, it goes into the brain tissue and can cause this encephalitis. And those can both be very serious infections. [00:10:26] Speaker B: Gotcha. Doctor Klein, we were talking between. And when did the vaccine first come out? [00:10:35] Speaker A: The vaccine first came out in 1963. And so prior to that vaccine being introduced, there were many more cases of measles in the US each year. There were over half a million cases annually reported and almost 500 deaths from measles annually. [00:10:58] Speaker B: And has the vaccine changed from when it first came out to now? [00:11:02] Speaker A: Yes. When it first came out, it was what's called an inactivated vaccine, and it was just a single vaccine against measles. But now there's a newer formulation, which is the measles mumps rubella vaccine, which combined together the MMR. Yes. [00:11:23] Speaker B: And how effective are the vaccines in. [00:11:28] Speaker A: Preventing this, it's very effective. It's about 95% on average, but if someone's had one vaccine, it's about 93% effective. And if they've had two doses, it's about 97% effective. Oh, wow. [00:11:46] Speaker B: Okay. So pretty good coverage there. If somebody were to have the vaccine and still get it, like, why would that happen? Just. [00:11:57] Speaker A: Well, there are a couple possibilities. One is that there is this small percentage of people that just don't mount a good immune response to the vaccine, meaning they don't develop enough protection from the vaccine. So there is that, you know, maybe 5% of the population that won't be protected. And then it's possible that if someone was vaccinated many years earlier and then, you know, decades later, are exposed to somebody with measles, that their levels of immunity could have waned a bit. So they're not completely protected anymore. [00:12:40] Speaker B: That will be an interesting discussion that we'll discuss in a little bit, because that is a point of interest to me. So can you talk a little bit about what some misconceptions are about the measles vaccine that people often have? [00:12:58] Speaker A: Well, I think people worry probably about potential side effects from the vaccine. For the most part, the side effects are quite mild, which would include soreness or redness in the arm where the shot was given. Fever can also occur, which is more common in children, but it certainly doesn't develop in everybody. And rarely some people develop a mild rash from the vaccine. There also, some people have concerns that there were reports that the vaccine was linked to autism, but those reports have been disproven and there really isn't good evidence to indicate that. [00:13:47] Speaker B: Now is this the vaccine that has. Is made with egg. Has egg or is there. [00:13:54] Speaker A: I don't recall that being a contraindication, an egg allergy. But I would need to double check the vaccine. [00:14:05] Speaker B: And so the recommended age of a children to receive the measles vaccine. [00:14:12] Speaker A: Yep, that's the first dose. Should be around twelve to 15 months of age. [00:14:17] Speaker B: Okay. [00:14:18] Speaker A: And then the second dose before they enter kindergarten. And also if young adults are going to college, for instance, or going somewhere where they're going to be living in close quarters with a lot of people and they haven't had two doses of vaccine, usually they recommend vaccination. So they've had two full vaccinations. [00:14:44] Speaker B: Gotcha. And is it common that somebody would miss that second vaccine? [00:14:50] Speaker A: It's not common, but it can occur. [00:14:53] Speaker B: Right. Cause they get so many babies get a lot of vaccines and. [00:14:59] Speaker A: Right. And especially for older people who might have gotten it years ago when there wasn't the standard recommendation for two doses, they might have just gotten one dose in childhood. [00:15:14] Speaker B: So we have, you know, like many places, you know, people who come in from other countries, and the vaccination protocol may not be the same as here or they may not have gotten vaccinated. I mean, I don't always, I don't know, really, as somebody who doesn't work in the medical field, how that always works, but I'm wondering, can adults receive measles vaccine, and if so, you know, should they consider it? [00:15:45] Speaker A: I think it's worth considering what the guidelines in this country are for adults that were born and raised in this country. Measles was very common if you were born before 1957. So everybody born before 1957 is considered immune just because measles was circulating a lot back then. Now, for people that are born in 1957 or later, they should receive at least one vaccine. If they've never had a vaccine and if they're not sure if they had the disease or not, they can do a blood test for measles to see if they have evidence of past measles infection because that is also protective. [00:16:36] Speaker B: So if. Are you saying this because you're presuming that if you were born before 1957 that you maybe have had it? [00:16:45] Speaker A: Exactly. Mm hmm. [00:16:47] Speaker B: Okay. And if you've had it, you don't get it a second time? [00:16:52] Speaker A: That's right. It's very rare that there are rare reported cases of people getting measles a second time, but that's extremely rare. So generally, if you've had measles, the illness, you should be protected for the rest of your life. [00:17:11] Speaker B: So what happens now? I mean, I guess I'm curious to know, do you have, like, any statistics? Like, I know the numbers have shot up since COVID you know, with the whole vaccination thing and people not vaccinating as much. How, what's our statistics in the US like for this year? Do you know approximate? [00:17:37] Speaker A: I mean, how many cases? [00:17:39] Speaker B: Right. [00:17:40] Speaker A: Oh, it's. I think the most recent counts now are over 140 cases this year. [00:17:49] Speaker B: And it was quite low before, right? [00:17:51] Speaker A: Yes. In fact, in the year 2000, measles was declared eradicated in the US. Meaning it's possible people who traveled from another country might bring it here, but people who had only been in the US and not traveled elsewhere, no one was acquiring measles, basically because there was such high immunity in the population, either from past infection for the older people or from immunization for the younger people. [00:18:27] Speaker B: So I know there are certain things that sometimes people should be aware of. What happens if you're pregnant and you, how would that affect the baby if you contracted measles? [00:18:41] Speaker A: Right. So if women were pregnant and they were not immune to measles and they became infected while they were pregnant, they could be at risk of the baby being born smaller than normal weight. They could be at risk for having premature birth. And so it can be harmful for the woman and the pregnant? Well, for the baby she's carrying, it can cause premature labor miscarriage. So it would be better to be vaccinated before becoming pregnant. [00:19:25] Speaker B: Can you explain a little bit? If people are thinking, well, I'm not going to get it, and now we're having more and more outbreaks, what role does herd immunity play and how does the vaccination rate play into that? [00:19:44] Speaker A: Herd immunity is really important in containing measles. And it is estimated that to protect the herd, so to speak, you should have 95% of people vaccinated. So if the vaccination rate drops to less than 95%, those people who have never been vaccinated or never had measles are more at risk of getting the infection and then spreading it to other people, people who have never been vaccinated or had measles. [00:20:20] Speaker B: And so if I were thinking about this, would I think that the herd immunity, like, would that be 95% in my area, or for the whole us, or how would I think about that? [00:20:34] Speaker A: That's a good way to think about it, is that it's your community, really, that is important to you, because those are the people you're going to be most commonly exposed to. So communities that have lower immunization rates are going to be at increased risk of measles spreading in their community. [00:21:00] Speaker B: Excellent. All right. Well, not excellent, but thank you for your answer. And you talked about, we kind of brushed on statistics a little. But you said you have some statistics. [00:21:14] Speaker A: Well, one of the things that public health authorities are tracking, such as the Centers for Disease Control in Minnesota, our Minnesota Department of Health, is they track the rates of vaccination among us kindergarteners. [00:21:31] Speaker B: Oh, geez. Yeah. [00:21:32] Speaker A: And they're already little germ bombs, as we talked about, herd immunity, really, the goal is to have 95% or more of your kindergarteners vaccinated for measles before they start school. And it used to be that we had quite high vaccination coverage throughout the US, but that has decreased from about 95% in the years 2019, 2020 to 20 or 93% in 20, 22, 23. So across the country, we've dropped below that 95% rate. And then if you look at certain states, there are some states that are even less than 90%. So the state of Minnesota now actually is one of those states that's less than 90%. [00:22:29] Speaker B: Oh, I was always so proud of us. [00:22:32] Speaker A: Well, the rates did used to be higher, but they have fallen down in recent years. [00:22:37] Speaker B: All right, people, come on. So this must be part of what challenges do the public health officials face in controlling measles outbreaks. [00:22:52] Speaker A: That's right, because we worry if a child with measles, for instance, goes to school or daycare or goes to the doctor's office or the emergency room and they have measles, they could be in that early stage when it's early on, but they're still infectious and they could be exposing other people. So that's the risk after an exposure like that to identify who are those people who are exposed, who are non immune, who might need some additional treatment after the exposure to prevent them from developing measles. [00:23:39] Speaker B: So here is my concern as a parent and somebody who is following this type of information, is that, as you said, the vaccine is the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. So if you're not getting the measles vaccine, you're also not getting the mumps and rubella vaccine. [00:24:04] Speaker A: That's right. [00:24:05] Speaker B: So should we be worried about two other diseases starting to crop up more? [00:24:12] Speaker A: Yes, that definitely is possible. And those two illnesses could also come back and start circulating more in those who have not been vaccinated. Yeah. [00:24:25] Speaker B: And where are we with that? Where are we with those two other diseases? Are you seeing them come up in the US more? [00:24:33] Speaker A: Very sporadically. They have been reported. The mumps is seen probably more in young adults that might be living in congregate settings or close quarters, sharing drinks with their friends, where they might be exposed to each other's saliva, for instance. [00:24:59] Speaker B: Charlene, do you have any questions that, I mean, I'll go on, but did you want to jump in with anything? [00:25:08] Speaker C: I'm going to go a little bit off the grid. I remember having to get a vaccination for german measles. And where does that play in there? [00:25:18] Speaker A: Well, german measles, yes, that's rubella. And so that vaccine is now combined with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. So that's the r in the MMR vaccine. And. Yes. So german measles can make children sick, and it used to be more common in the sixties and earlier, and it can also be especially dangerous if a pregnant woman gets rubella, it can cause congenital illness and some serious birth defects in the unborn. Yeah, baby. [00:25:59] Speaker C: I remember when I was about twelve years old. At that time, it was time to learn about the ladies of life and it was a big deal to get the german measles shot because of that. [00:26:16] Speaker A: To prevent that birth defects. If a woman becomes pregnant and would acquire. [00:26:25] Speaker B: I believe I knew a family whose mom got it the vaccine when she was pregnant and didn't realize. And I believe her son was deaf blind after that. [00:26:37] Speaker A: Oh, well, yes, so that is a good point. Pregnant women should not get the measles mumps rubella vaccine because it is what they call a live attenuated virus. But it's not considered safe in pregnancy. In fact, if you've had the vaccine, the recommendations are to wait at least four weeks to get pregnant. [00:27:06] Speaker B: Gotcha. Oh, wow. Okay. Good to know. [00:27:09] Speaker C: You need to know that at twelve. [00:27:10] Speaker B: But yeah. How can individuals protect themselves and their communities from measles? Presumably? I mean, is there other ways besides vaccination? [00:27:28] Speaker A: Well, you know, that's, vaccination is really the best method so that you have good protective immunity in case you are exposed. I will say if someone is exposed and they're not immune, they still have a few days after exposure, really just three days to be vaccinated and still get protection from the vaccine. And then there's something else called immune globulin, which is basically giving the exposed person someone else's antibodies, which are derived through a blood donation to help protect them against the measles. And that can be given up to six days after the exposure to measles. [00:28:20] Speaker B: So if you're older or if you're, I don't know, compromised, or you believe that you have not had that vaccination and you have been exposed, you have x amount of time to go get something, right? [00:28:38] Speaker A: So if you have been exposed and healthcare professionals know that, they will likely reach out to you and try to reach out to you in that tight timeframe to offer you treatment. Now, if you think you've been exposed and you're not wondering or you're wondering what treatment you should get, I would reach out to your healthcare provider or contact your public health office. Like in Minnesota, you could call your county health department, you could call the Minnesota Department of Health and say, you know, I'm concerned I was exposed to measles. If you don't have your own doctor, if you have your own doctor, I would call them and let them know. [00:29:23] Speaker B: What advice would you give parents who are hesitant about vaccinating their children, I. [00:29:32] Speaker A: Would encourage them to vaccinate their children because I do think vaccination is quite safe and it offers really excellent protection against the disease. And we know that measles can be serious and lead to hospitalization. It can even lead to severe complications, which can lead to death. So in the long run, the vaccine is really the safest way to go. [00:30:04] Speaker B: So when I was growing up and hearing about vaccinating, the topic had come up that you should be vaccinating because there are a small percentage, very, very small, of people who cannot take the vaccine and you want to protect them. Is this true? [00:30:25] Speaker A: That is true. That is true because there are certain people whose immune systems are very weak who shouldn't take the vaccine, or pregnant women, for instance, who shouldn't take the vaccine. And by the rest of the people who can take the vaccine being vaccinated, we help protect those other people who can't take the vaccine for medical reasons. [00:30:53] Speaker B: Are there statistics or more likelihood that if a child gets measles, I guess I'll re ask this. Is there a higher statistic that if a child, as opposed to adult or the other way around, gets the measles, that it will develop into something more severe? [00:31:15] Speaker A: Well, really severe disease is more likely in very young children. [00:31:20] Speaker B: I see. [00:31:22] Speaker A: And it can be severe in adults, but really it's the youngest children who are at the greatest risk. [00:31:31] Speaker B: And how can schools and other institutions help prevent the spread of measles? [00:31:39] Speaker A: Well, I think, first of all, by encouraging vaccination, and then secondly, by excluding ill children who might be in the infectious, contagious stage, they should be excluded from school and childcare to help prevent exposing others. [00:32:02] Speaker B: I'm wondering if you could talk to a little bit about why is it that we allow people to enroll their kids unvaccinated? It feels, I mean, because think. I mean, everything that you're telling me now says that by the time that they get the rash, they will have already infected, you know, tons of people. [00:32:29] Speaker A: Potentially those, those people who are non immune. [00:32:33] Speaker B: Right. [00:32:34] Speaker A: You know, I really not pediatrician, and I'm not a school teacher, and I don't, I'm not that in tune to all those rules and regulations. So I can't really comment on exactly what the laws say about that because I'm not that familiar with them, but I think that the rules are enforced through the states and through the schools. [00:33:05] Speaker B: Is there a difference with how measles can affect people with different disabilities, or does it matter? At all? [00:33:14] Speaker A: Well, I think it depends on what the disabilities are and what people's physical capabilities are. So, for instance, because we know it's a respiratory virus, people who have underlying lung problems potentially are at higher risk for lung complications, for instance, and people who have weakened immune systems, in particular, could be at risk for more serious infections. [00:33:48] Speaker B: So how compromised can you be and still get the measles vaccine, or should you? [00:33:55] Speaker A: Well, people who are severely immunocompromised should not get the vaccine, and people with more mild degrees of immune suppression may be able to get it. But I think it's really best for people to talk to their own doctor for guidance, because it's hard to give general guidance. [00:34:16] Speaker B: Right. With all the different treatments of cancer and things that are happening now with, especially, like, I'm thinking immunotherapy, does that erase immunities for things? [00:34:33] Speaker A: Really? Probably the most sort of drastic medical treatment that can erase immunity is a bone marrow. [00:34:44] Speaker B: Ah, okay. [00:34:45] Speaker A: Transplantation. Yeah, because people's own white blood cells get treated by the chemotherapy and radiation, and then they get other people's blood cells, and so they could potentially lose immunity that way. [00:35:07] Speaker B: All right, so what is, you know, what is the CDC, or I guess, who is in charge of disseminating the information as far as, like, what are they doing to try to convince people to get their immunizations? [00:35:28] Speaker A: Well, I know that recently in Minnesota, the state health department has reached out to healthcare professionals to try to get the word out about measles outbreaks, because there have recently, just in the past month, been two small outbreaks reported in Minnesota with six infected individuals. And these were people who traveled internationally and they had not been vaccinated. So the health department is trying to get this information out there for healthcare professionals to share for two reasons, because they want us to be aware that measles potentially could be circulating in our community and people with the infection might present to our healthcare facilities so that we could recognize it early on and put these individuals in a private isolation room so they don't spread it to others and the health care facility, and so that people get the needed treatment and they get the diagnostic tests done that need to be done. But I think they're also getting this information out there to encourage vaccination so that people realize there is this risk of obtaining or contracting measles, even in the state of Minnesota. But especially if you travel to a country where there's a lower immunization rate than we have here, if you're going. [00:37:07] Speaker B: To travel outside the US, is it easy to get tested to make sure you have enough, you know, measles vaccine in your blood. [00:37:21] Speaker A: Well, if. If you know, you've been vaccinated, then for most people, you can assume that you are protected. So the biggest risk is for those people who have never been vaccinated, and they don't know if they ever were vaccinated as a small child. For instance, they don't know if they ever had measles as a small child. For those people, I think they could get a blood test done. [00:37:49] Speaker B: And can the blood test tell the difference between if you actually had the disease or if you just had the vaccine? [00:37:57] Speaker A: No, it'll just give you the report saying if you have the antibody against measles or not. [00:38:04] Speaker B: Gotcha. Do you feel like, you know, it kind of feels, I guess it's interesting to me that this is happening now after the whole, you know, Covid-19 vaccine thing. Do you think that that promoted a lot of the I'm not gonna get vaccines thing? [00:38:28] Speaker A: I think it grew after that. You know, I think there was some sentiment amongst some people that they didn't need vaccines even before Covid-19 but vaccination rates have fallen further after the Covid-19 pandemic. And there's probably a couple reasons for that. There may be more people that have concerns about vaccination in general after Covid-19 but also we know that, you know, some people just didn't seek medical care as commonly as they normally would have during the pandemic. And so kids weren't getting all their normal immunizations on schedule because of that. And that is also partially responsible for the decreased vaccination rates now that we're seeing after the pandemic. [00:39:24] Speaker B: Gotcha. Where can people go to find out more about measles and vaccines and things like that? [00:39:33] Speaker A: Well, I would encourage people to start with their own healthcare providers in their own clinic. They can go in and at their next clinic visit and ask if they're up to date on the immunizations for young children in particular. I think that's important to get in for those well child visits and check and see if all immunizations are up to date or if there's some catch up vaccines that are needed. I will say Minnesota Department of Health has some really good resources on their website. If you just Google measles, Minnesota Department of Health, they will link you to some very informational pages. Center for Disease Control has similar good information both for the general public and for healthcare professionals. So there are a lot of good resources readily available online through just doing a quick Google search, too. [00:40:37] Speaker B: Is there anything more you'd like to leave us with, Doctor Klein? [00:40:43] Speaker A: I think you've covered a lot of. [00:40:45] Speaker B: The, we covered a lot of ground. [00:40:48] Speaker A: Yes, a lot of the main or important topics. But again, I would encourage people to get vaccinated if they have not been, especially if young children have not been vaccinated. I would encourage their parents to vaccinate them. And I'd encourage people to think about, especially if you're traveling outside the US to countries where measles is known to be more a risk that you could acquire it during travel. [00:41:19] Speaker B: Is there a list that one can look to see if the country that they're going to travel to has a higher measles rate? [00:41:27] Speaker A: Well, the center for Disease Controls actually keeps records of measles outbreaks in other countries as well. But I will tell you, they're quite extensive, both in certain european countries, in Africa and some areas of Asia. [00:41:48] Speaker B: So there are almost sounds like if, when in doubt, check your vaccine record or get a blood test. [00:41:56] Speaker A: Right. And you can always get travel counseling from your healthcare professional if you tell them, you know, which country you're traveling to and they can help you look into what diseases you need to worry about, what vaccines you should get. [00:42:11] Speaker B: I know it's really hard to like, you know, at the risk of annoying people, do n 95 masks help with protection against measles? [00:42:24] Speaker A: They do help because they do help filter the air of the virus particles. So if we had the patient in the hospital, for instance, that we knew had measles, we would put them in a special isolation room where the air is ventilated outside, so outside the room and not into hallways. And then also we would recommend anyone going into the room wear an n 95 mask to help filter the air. Now, healthcare professionals are also recommended to be vaccinated, and that's a routine requirement for. [00:43:09] Speaker B: So we still require them to be vaccinated. Excellent. Which I think that's as it should be. Well, Doctor Klein, thank you so much for coming on and giving us this, I think, much needed info. And hopefully this will educate some people and hopefully we'll start seeing a decline at some point. [00:43:31] Speaker A: Okay, thank you for inviting me. [00:43:34] Speaker B: Thank you. Well, thank you, Doctor Klein. That was a fascinating interview. I always love when these doctors come in and talk about that, different things. So, Charlene, so I want to just let our listeners know that if you have a suggestion of things that should be talked about or discussion on a topic that we have not covered for a long time or haven't covered at all. Feel free to contact us. Disability in progressamjasmin.com and we are more than happy to look into talking about it because, you know, we work with your suggestions. [00:44:30] Speaker C: And don't forget to, you know, you can listen to it for two weeks off the kFBI.org, but if you didn't get around to it and you want, or you want to go back and hear something, we got podcasts all over the place. [00:44:45] Speaker B: Yes, we do. So feel free to look us up. Coming up next week, Bello's. Bello's in the studio, Bella Cipriani will be talking about inaccessible websites. And on June 13, Doctor Joshua Howe will be talking about the I donation. And the 20th, what's coming up on the 20th? Let's see. On the 20th, we'll be talking about accessibility with opening medical bottles. [00:45:34] Speaker C: Yeah. Have you ever had trouble opening your bottle? [00:45:39] Speaker B: The medicine bottle, Charlene? [00:45:41] Speaker C: Oh, the medicine. Oh, the liquid stuff. [00:45:44] Speaker B: Well, yeah, you gotta watch her. You gotta watch. [00:45:46] Speaker C: But even, yeah, seriously. Even like drops and things. How do you know? And so this is a company that are trying to work on fixing that problem or advocating. [00:46:02] Speaker B: There's a, there's a, I think, a fine line between keeping the medicine safe and having it accessible to people who don't have maybe two hands to open or, you know, have a hard time. Maybe they have muscle weakness in the. [00:46:19] Speaker C: Hands or those little packets where you got to try to get that underneath the fingernail. So you get the big knife out and then you cut. Yeah. [00:46:28] Speaker B: Chop off your finger. Yeah. [00:46:30] Speaker C: Tear up the capsule that you are supposed to be eating. [00:46:34] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, there is that. [00:46:36] Speaker C: So I think that'll be an interesting show for sure. [00:46:39] Speaker B: I think so, too. And you've been listening to disability and progress. The views expressed on the show are not necessarily those of KFAI or its board of directors. My name is Sam. I'm the host of this show. Thank you so much for joining in. You've been listening to disability in progress on KFAI, 90.3 FM, Minneapolis, and kfai.org dot. We were speaking with doctor Susan Klein, who talked about measles. Charlene Dahl is my pr research person. Thank you, Charlene. Erin is my podcaster, and if you'd like to hear anything, it'd be on our email list. You can email me at [email protected] thanks for listening. Goodbye.