This phenomenon is known as immune amnesia and can make people vulnerable to other infectious diseases for weeks or months. Studies have shown that it takes 2-3 years after measles infection for protective immunity to fully return.
“Measles viruses are highly immunosuppressive, meaning they interfere with the normal function of many white cells in the body fighting other infections,” says Fennelly.
One of these infections is bacterial pneumonia, which causes inflammation of the lungs and accumulation of fluids. About one in five people who get sick from measles in the United States are hospitalized, and one in 20 develops pneumonia. In some cases, the patient may need supplemental oxygen or intubation and ventilator support.
At a press conference on February 28, Ron Cook, chief health officer at the Texas Institute of Technology Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, explained that hospitalized patients are suffering from severe symptoms, many of whom have also experienced dehydration and hypoxia levels due to lung inflammation.
“Pneumonia is the most common cause of measles in young children,” said Edith Bracho-Sanchez, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University.
Measles can cause serious complications in people who are not immune, especially in children under the age of 5.Photo: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
Measles can cause severe complications called encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, which is fatal. Encephalitis can occur during infection after infection if the virus migrates to the brain or if the brain is inflamed due to an excessive immune response. Approximately one child develops encephalitis in every 1,000 people who have suffered measles. This condition can cause convulsions and in rare cases, there is hearing loss or intellectual disability.
Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines are the best ways to protect against these complications. One dose of the vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. The first dose is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months of age, with the second dose usually given between the ages of 4 and 6.
There are no antiviral treatments available for measles. Vitamin A is also often given to people with infectious diseases, but does not interfere with measles or kill the virus. “The infection itself can deplete vitamin A levels in the body,” says Bracho Sanchez. Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend Vitamin A twice-time in children hospitalized with measles, as vitamin A deficiency can increase the risk of serious complications. However, large amounts of vitamin A are toxic.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests that treatment with cod liver oil containing vitamin A has shown “very good results” in measles patients. However, health experts have warned that cod liver oil supplements can contain more vitamin A than the recommended daily amount, which can also make children sick too many people.
Bracho-Sanchez says the best way to have the right level of vitamin A is to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Vaccination is the best way to protect against measles, she says.
Updated 3-11-2025 7:37 PM GMT: Fixed misidentification of quotes from Glenn Fennelly.
