"Despite having recovered from the initial illness, the news release said, the child years later died of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a rare but deadly disease that affects the central nervous system. It typically presents 7 to 10 years after measles was first contracted, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website says that the risks of developing it may be higher among those who contract measles when under 2 years old."
"Before the first measles vaccine was licensed for public use in 1963, an estimated 3 million to 4 million people were infected with measles each year, resulting in around 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths annually, according to a May 2024 post on the CDC website. After measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning it had no longer circulated in the country for more than a year, deaths from the disease became exceedingly rare."
A school-age child in Los Angeles County contracted measles as an infant before becoming eligible for vaccination and later died of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Measles initially presents with cough, high fever and a spreading red, bumpy rash and can cause rare, fatal complications. SSPE affects the central nervous system and typically appears 7 to 10 years after measles infection, with higher risk when measles is contracted under age two. Before the 1963 vaccine, millions were infected annually with thousands hospitalized and hundreds dying. Two MMR doses are recommended at 12–15 months and 4–6 years; infants 6–11 months should receive one dose.
Read at SFGATE
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