Click on the link above to respond to the Case Study questions (see below). Please reference your post with evidence from academic sources and experience. After responding to the initial question(s), comment on at least two of your classmates’ responses. Please respond by making constructive responses or by raising other questions that will promote further discussion and learning by all of us.
Finally, it is best practice to post early and continually participate throughout the session. You will be graded not only for your posting, but your participation in this discussion. Your initial post is due by Wednesday at 11:59 P.M. (MST) of the session in which the discussion is assigned. A minimum of two (2) additional response posts are due on Sunday at 11:59 P.M. (MST). These are minimum requirements. Be sure to follow any additional guidelines posted by the instructor for the course in regards to discussions.
Please review the rubric for the discussion under the Due Dates and Grades content item.
Case Study: Epidemic
In the late winter of 1988, pediatricians in big cities around the country started reporting large increases in the numbers of patients they saw with diffuse red rashes and high fevers (greater than 101°F). The rash, usually extending downward from the hairline to the rest of the body, began after a two-week incubation period. The spots were often so close together that the entire involved area appeared red. Sometimes the skin in such an area peeled after a few days. The rash lasted five to six days. Many of the children also suffered from diarrhea.
The age group most affected was preschoolers. This was a change in epidemiology for this infection, as previously the disease most often struck school-age children. A vaccine had been introduced for this disease in 1963, and since the only 5,000-6,000 cases a year had been reported in the United States. 18, 193 cases were reported in 1989. In 1990 the epidemic peaked with almost 28,000 cases reported in the US. By 2002, the incidence in this country had fallen and was again in the range of 5,000-6,000 cases a year.
- What was this resurgent infection?
- What are some possible reasons for the epidemic in 1989-1991?
- What is herd immunity? Discuss it in relation to this outbreak.
- What is the schedule for vaccination for this infection in the United States?
- Are serious sequelae associated with this infection? If so, what are they?
- How do you think outbreaks such as this one can be avoided? Do you feel childhood vaccination should be regulated differently in the United States?
Reference: Cowan, M. K. (2002) The microbe files: Cases in microbiology for the undergraduate (pp. 15-16). San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings.
