Skipping Measles Vaccine May Put Children At Risk, Research Finds

New research finds that the measles virus could wipe out your immune system’s memory and make you vulnerable to frequent infections.

The new study published in the journal Science suggests that skipping the measles vaccine might put kids at risk in more than one way. Not only could they contract measles and suffer directly from the virus but could also sustain measles-included damages to their immunity.

The lead author and professor of genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston say that the measles virus is furthermore deleterious than previously thought.

Previous research conducted at the Harvard School of Public health has highlighted the fact that measles appears to suppress one’s immunity for 2-3 years even after the infection’s recovery and that this has contributed greatly towards infectious diseases and childhood mortality. Several other types of research also point out that the impact of measles might last as long as five years.

Physicians have also reported a reduction in childhood mortality rates from measles and other causes after the introduction of measles vaccines into communities.

But the precise reasons for all the above-mentioned studies have been unclear. This new research clearly points out that your immune system is debilitated by measles and implies that the measles vaccine is precious than previously recognized.

They studied 77 children from the Netherlands who had missed the measles vaccine and later contracted it during an outbreak. They analyzed their blood samples which were taken before they got sick and then a couple of months after their recovery. Their findings revealed that the measles virus had eliminated an enormous amount of immune-system antibodies that the children possessed before the infection. They didn’t find these among children who had been vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella.

It is also clear from the findings of this study that individuals who contract measles could potentially lose immunity to illnesses they have already been exposed to, those they have been vaccinated against as well as to those that they had developed natural protection against. Few such illnesses are pneumonia, rubella, Influenza, common cold, hepatitis, human papillomavirus, and rotavirus.

Measles is extremely contagious and causes rashes, fever, cough, and other symptoms. Although it was declared to be eradicated in 2000, there have still been several outbreaks. CDC reports more than 1,200 cases in 31 states, as of 2019.

Global statistics show that measles affects more than 7 million affected individuals causing more than 120,000 deaths per year. Recent findings suggest that broader vaccination could potentially save umpteen more lives and prevent deaths from other infections caused by measles.