Competition races to eradicate measles

Defeating Duke University is a passion embedded in many UNC students' hearts.

This week, students at the University will have an opportunity to do just that.

Measles Madness: The Race to Vaccinate, part of a national movement by the Red Cross's Measles Initiative, is a weeklong, competitive fund-raiser to help finance measles vaccinations in Africa.

The respiratory infection is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death among African children -- causing more preventable deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis and malnutrition.

One million children die from measles annually, said Nitin Sekar, the head of the campaign at UNC -- half of them in Africa.

But the measles vaccination costs less than $1 per person.

"Measles is totally preventable with one dollar," Sekar said. "You can change a kid's life. They will never get the measles."

The fund-raiser kicked off Sunday at the UNC women's basketball game against Duke. Chancellor James Moeser and Duke President Richard Brodhead made the first donations at halftime.

Anyone who makes donations in the Pit this week will receive a red armband. Sekar said he hopes to see the campus full of red bands by the end of the week.

Dr. Samuel Katz, developer of the measles vaccination, will speak 7 p.m. Wednesday in 116 Murphey Hall. He will discuss the possibility of eradicating measles and other diseases, Sekar said.

Measles, like polio and smallpox, is no longer a threat to children in the United States because of the availability of the vaccination, said Peter Gilligan, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University.

There were only 37 cases of measles reported in the United States in 2004, he said.

"Vaccination is the most important tool we can use to fight the measles," Gilligan said.

But the measles vaccination must be kept cold at all times, and some countries do not have the ability to maintain those conditions.

"In under-developed countries, measles is a major killer," Gilligan said.

Sekar said he learned about the national campaign in high school from a friend who was in the Red Cross. That friend is now heading up the opposing campaign at Duke.

Sekar said he hopes the disease will be eradicated in Africa in the next few years.

"We are really close to getting rid of the measles," he said. "In a term of five years, we can get rid of it now."

Erika Stallings, co-chairwoman for the Health Focus committee of the Campus Y, said she thinks the campaign is a wonderful idea.

"It is such a simple cause to help people," she said.

For more information about measles and the Red Cross' campaign, visit http://www.measlesinitiative.org.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.