Doctors have warned that health problems arising from measles virus are not limited to direct symptoms, but may leave long -term health effects that threaten both children and adults. The doctors explained that the measles caused -in addition to the rash and fever -great damage to the immune system, and make the body vulnerable to diseases for years after injury.
What is measles?
Measles are a very infection disease caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system and then spreads throughout the body, and spreads easily when the affected person breathes, coups or sneezes, and can cause severe disease and complications and may cause death according to the World Health Organization.
The measles lead to the injury of the immune system with shock, which leads to the destruction of vital cells that help our bodies respond to the threats, and this is called “the loss of immune memory” as the body loss of these immune cells leads to its inability to remember the pathogens that it faced before, which may cause the body vulnerable to other diseases for weeks after the injury.
Dr. Michael Mina, a former professor of epidemics at the University of Diseases, explains the Harvard THS Chan for Public Health – in a statement to the American New York Times: “These cells remember and learn about the causes of pathogens that your body faced throughout your life and protects you from it.”
This phenomenon lasts for a period of up to 3 years after measles, while others may suffer from serious diseases due to their weak immunity.
“The real problem is that your child will not only get measles, but will also be more likely to develop other diseases in the next few years,” says Dr. Aaron Melston, a gastric pediatric specialist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for Children.
The effect of long -term measles complications on the brain
The risk of measles is not limited to the destruction of immunity, but it can cause severe health complications in various parts of the body, for example, one child of every thousand children with measles suffers from swelling in the brain, which may lead to hearing loss or sight, or even permanent damage to the brain, and people with weak immune system are at risk of developing cerebral swelling that may appear even after a year of recovery from the measles according to the doctor Melston.
In very rare cases, the disease can develop into a fatty subaclementing panenessphalitis (SSPE), which appears after seven to 10 years of measles; This condition has no cure and leads to epileptic seizures and gradually damage in the nervous system.
It is estimated that about 4 to 11 cases of every 100,000 measles infection lead to the development of this disease, and the possibility of infection increases in children who suffer from measles before reaching the age of five.
The effect of long -term measles complications on the lungs
One in 20 children with measles suffers from pneumonia, which is the main cause of death among children with this virus, even children who escape from pneumonia may suffer from permanent damage in the lungs, which increases the risk of developing asthma and chronic lung diseases in adulthood.
Categories most at risk of these complications
Most of the measles in the United States for this year have been recorded among children, but adults are also at risk of developing these serious complications, as adults are considered over the age of 20 and children under five are the most vulnerable to measles complications.
Women with measles are more vulnerable to hospitalization and pneumonia, in addition to increasing their exposure to abortion or premature birth.
The vaccines are the solution
The measles vaccine provides effective protection against the virus, not only from the disease itself, but also from the long -term complications that may result from it.
“Vaccines provide lifelong defense against the virus for the vast majority of people, and protect them from short and long -term risks, this vaccination is not only to protect the individual, but to protect the entire society,” says Dr. Walter Ornstin, an honorary professor at Emory University and former director of the National Vaccination Program.