Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
How Fast does an Infection Disease Spread
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1005 How Fast does an Infectious Disease Spre
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr. David Niesel.
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog.
If you’re looking to big box stores to tell you what season it is, you’d be confused. Halloween decorations in August, and Christmas in September. But for Dave and I, it’s clear this is flu season.
To rate how quickly a virus can spread, scientists use a term called R0 (R-nought) which describes how many additional people one sick person can infect.
Influenza virus has an R-nought of about one to two, meaning two extra people will get sick. So R-noughtis a good estimate of how fast the flu will spread.
The COVID-nineteen virus is slightly higher with about one-point-five to two and a half. But the measles virus has an R-noughtbetween twelve and eighteen making it the most transmissible virus in an unvaccinated population.
Another microbe with the same R-nought is Bordetella pertussis which causes whooping cough. Chicken Pox has an R-nought of nine to ten.
This would all be scary if we didn’t have tools, but we do. The MMR vaccine nearly wiped out measles as a childhood disease in America five years ago, but then vaccination rates fell and measles is back.
That’s why health experts are emphasizing vaccination to slow its spread. Ninety five percent of us must be vaccinated to reach “herd immunity”, when nearly all of us are protected.
Despite what anti-vaxxers say, it’s crucial to know vaccines work and the MMR vaccine against measles does not cause autism.
Allowing your child to get these diseases carries complication risks including pneumonia, seizures and even death. As always, Get your doctor’s advice.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast.
