The Measles Outbreak - What to Know

In the Chicago Tribune article "Doctors, Talk Tough on Measles," Cory Franklin traces the measles back to a nineteenth century outbreak in the South Pacific, discusses what this has in common with the comeback today, and highlights both sides of the vaccine controversy.

Learn 15 words to help get you up to speed on the measles outbreak.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. affluent
    having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value
    What could these affluent neighborhoods possibly have in common with the quiet graveyard of Vunivesi?
  2. devastate
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
    In 1875, one of deadliest outbreaks of measles in modern history devastated Fiji, killing one­third of the island's
    100,000 inhabitants.
  3. epidemic
    a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease
    Unfortunately, they were also infected by a measles epidemic
    coursing through eastern Australia.
  4. lack
    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
    Lacking the strength to find food, thousands more died of starvation.
  5. missionary
    someone sent to a foreign country to spread a religion
    After the outbreak, one British missionary described the eerie stillness of the deserted villages.
  6. eradication
    the complete destruction of every trace of something
    Among America's greatest achievements in that time has been the near eradication of vaccine-preventable diseases.
  7. vaccine
    injection of weakened or dead microbes to create antibodies
    Among America's greatest achievements in that time has been the near eradication of vaccine­-preventable diseases.
  8. demographic
    a statistic characterizing human populations
    The reason is at once painfully simple and utterly complex: More parents in this demographic are choosing not to vaccinate their children as medical experts advise.
  9. vaccinate
    produce immunity in by inoculation
    The reason is at once painfully simple and utterly complex: More parents in this demographic are choosing not to vaccinate their children as
    medical experts advise.
  10. prestigious
    having an excellent reputation; respected
    His now discredited study was published in the world's most prestigious medical journal, Lancet.
  11. unwarranted
    lacking justification or authorization
    Lancet retracted the paper after discovering Wakefield's methods were sloppy and unethical, his conclusions unwarranted, and he had failed
    to disclose significant financial interests.
  12. vaccination
    taking a substance, usually by injection, against a disease
    In 1956, at the height of his popularity, Elvis Presley posed for his polio vaccination.
  13. lax
    without rigor or strictness
    No mention of the lax immunization requirements in states like California.
  14. controversy
    a dispute where there is strong disagreement
    "Everything I ever said caused controversy," he said.
  15. victim
    an unfortunate person who suffers from adverse circumstances
    Those unfortunate Fijians at Vunivesi were victims of something they were unaware of and could not control.
Created on Wed Feb 25 17:24:34 EST 2015 (updated Wed Feb 25 17:44:38 EST 2015)

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