An infection can also leave children and adults with other long-term health problems.
As more measles cases emerge around the country, doctors say they’re concerned that those infected may be at risk of long-term health complications.
A bout of measles sends the immune system into shock, demolishing critical cells that help our bodies respond to threats. This can leave people extremely susceptible to other pathogens for weeks after an infection.
The virus also attacks the immune system’s memory cells. These cells remember and recognize the pathogens you’ve encountered over the course of your life and protect against them, said Dr. Michael Mina, a former professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who has studied measles and immunity. Scientists call the phenomenon “immune amnesia.”
Everyone who gets sick from measles will experience some level of immune amnesia, Dr. Mina said. This happens on a spectrum. For some people, it might mean that coming down with the flu will keep them in bed for an extra day or two, he said. But others may lose far more immunity and wind up getting seriously sick from the viruses they encounter. This immune amnesia can last for around three years.
“A real concern is you’re not just going to get measles and get sick, but within the next couple of years, your kid’s going to be really vulnerable to a lot of other stuff,” said Dr. Aaron Milstone, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
Measles can also cause severe, long-term complications. About one in 1,000 children who develop measles will experience brain swelling, which can cause hearing and vision loss, intellectual disabilities and permanent brain damage. And people of any age who are immunocompromised are at greater risk for developing a specific type of brain swelling that can occur for up to a year after they recover, said Dr. Milstone.