Let’s summarize the case for measles vaccination:
- Measles is deadly — prior to the measles vaccine, of the 500,000 cases/yr that were reported, 400-500 died and 48,000 were hospitalized.
- Measles clears immune memory, making people who recover more susceptible to infections afterwards — This phenomena is called “immune amnesia” and seems to be mediated by the measles virus being able to infect immune memory cells with some researchers estimating that potentially half of all childhood deaths from infectious disease prior to the measles vaccine may have been caused in part by this immune amnesia.
- Children who recover from measles infection may develop SSPE, a neurological disorder with no cure and terrible prognosis. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) occurs when the measles virus ends up “hiding” in neurons and glial cells as the body clears the initial measles infection. This “hiding” leads to a progressive neurological disease with no cure and few effective treatments beyond just trying to treat the seizures. While rare, the chance of developing SSPE is higher in infants and especially if unvaccinated.
Sadly, a child in LA county died on Thursday from SSPE — while we don’t have a ton of information about the child’s age, it’s likely the child came down with measles prior to vaccination. For us to protect our kids and each other, we should not only get them vaccinated but insure broad enough vaccination so as to insure herd immunity.
“This case is a painful reminder of how dangerous measles can be, especially for our most vulnerable community members,” L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a statement. “Infants too young to be vaccinated rely on all of us to help protect them through community immunity. Vaccination is not just about protecting yourself-it’s about protecting your family, your neighbors, and especially children who are too young to be vaccinated.”
Child dies from rare measles-related complication, LA County health officials say
Amy Powell | ABC 7 News
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