How measles hurts the immune system
The measles infection is far more harmful than scientists previously thought, reports NPR.org. The virus itself can cause a severe and sometimes fatal illness, but two new studies suggest it can also wipe out patients’ immune systems—leaving them vulnerable to dangerous infections such as flu and pneumonia for months and possibly years. For the studies, researchers examined blood samples from 77 children in the Netherlands who went unvaccinated for religious reasons. The samples were taken before and after the kids contracted the disease during a 2013 outbreak. They found that measles wiped out 11 percent to 73 percent of the children’s antibodies, which provide protection against an array of viruses and bacteria. (Similar tests in vaccinated children found no loss of antibodies.) Scientists call this effect “immune amnesia.” The immune system essentially forgets what it needs to do to fight colds, flu, stomach bugs, and other illnesses, including illnesses for which the person has been vaccinated. “Measles is much more than a rash,” says Harvard Medical School’s Michael Mina, who led one of the studies. “It’s got these very long-term, stealth-like detrimental effects that are extraordinarily difficult to measure.” Researchers note that the introduction of the measles vaccine in the 1960s was followed by a sharp decline in deaths from other childhood diseases—a shift that could reverse if vaccination rates continue to decline.