The role of community health nurses in ensuring population’s health cannot be understated. These healthcare professionals are usually tasked with seeing to it that all the safety and quality of the health care and the needs of a particular population have been thoroughly addressed. For them to achieve this objective, they ought to have a proper understanding of disease histories, symptoms and the presenting characteristics which may indicate that an outbreak has occurred. Therefore, this realization requires health practitioners to take the center stage in seeing to it that the patterns of such a disease are kept on the lowest possible threshold to avert any negative outcomes which may come about as a result.
Chosen outbreak
Measles is a highly contagious disease which needs to be properly addressed through the involvement of health promotion activities. The earliest cases of the condition were reported in the year 1775. 6,000 deaths were reported in the year 1912 which led to it being considered notifiable. The countries in which outbreaks have previously been reported include the Philippines, France and the United States (CDC, 2015). These epidemics usually come about as a result of the citizenry of one country who have not received vaccination to protect themselves from the condition cross boundaries and pass the illness to healthy persons who have not been immunized. Recently, measles outburst was reported in an amusement park in California, United States in the year 2015. This incidence was started by an individual who had traveled from the Philippines in the year 2014. The year 2013 reported eleven cases. The origin of 2011 outburst was from a person visiting from France.
Epidemiological determinants
The primary mode through which a measles outbreak can occur is through person to person contact. Alternatively, the condition may be spread through the air. Infected droplets from the respiratory system of an infected person have the ability to remain suspended in the air for close to two hours. As such, this illness can be passed to individuals through sneezing, coughing and breathing (CDC, 2016). Densely populated areas like schools and amusement parks may serve as the commonest places where such attacks may occur. Individuals at risk of contracting measles include children who are too young to receive the vaccination, persons who haven’t received the required second dosage for the condition, pregnant women, and persons whose immune systems may have been compromised by conditions such as HIV and leukemia (CDC, 2016).
Effects of an outbreak at system level
Given that measles is a highly contagious illness, the functioning of schools and other public institutions such as churches may be affected by its outbreak since public will be in constant fear of contracting the condition, thus, opting to stay at home to avoid such a possibility. This, therefore, compromises syllabus coverage and by extension affects the accomplishment of different academic goals by students and their tutors. Other community activities such as worshipping and sports may be canceled.
Reporting protocol for a measles outbreak
Reporting disease occurrences is an important step in preventing the condition from spreading and in identifying groups of persons who are at the risk of falling victims. In this regard, the outbreak will be reported to the local health officer through a telephone call if the outburst is witnessed in a school (Washington State Department of Health, 2014). Telephone reporting is desired since it delivers information faster.
Strategies to prevent the spread of measles in a community
As a community health nurse, the public education strategies which one may employ in preventing the spread is through printing out pamphlets and posters alerting community members regarding the epidemic. Alternatively, organizing community health open days will be essential in educating the populace on how to protect themselves against measles and other contagious diseases.
References
CDC. (2015). Measles | About Measles | CDC. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/index.html
CDC. (2016). Measles | For Healthcare Professionals |. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/measles/hcp/
Washington State Department of Health. (2014). Measles: Reporting and Surveillance Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/5100/420-063-Guideline-Measles.pdf
