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Measles is not just a runny nose; it causes high fever, tiredness, cough, and red eyes, followed by a characteristic rash. Ninety percent of children get sick from measles if they are not immune.[1] Measles can be deadly in infants, and for kids, one to three out of 1,000 die if unvaccinated.[2]
“In 2000, measles was considered to be eliminated in the U.S., but now it’s back, and that’s because vaccination rates have dropped,” said Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech environmental engineer and leading expert in aerosol virus transmission.
Widespread misinformation and lack of awareness about vaccination in the U.S. have contributed to declining immunization rates. This results in a larger population of unvaccinated children, contributing to measles resurgence.
When an infection occurs in our body, the immune system produces antibodies against that infection, remembers it, and creates immunity. These protective cells are called “memory cells.
However, measles infection reduces the number of memory cells and leads to increased vulnerability to a wide range of diseases after infection among unvaccinated children. This phenomenon is known as immune amnesia.
Measles erases both short-term and long-term immune memory. Studies have shown that individuals infected by the measles virus can lose 11% to 73% of their pre-existing antibodies against other diseases, increasing susceptibility to other infections for up to two years.[3]
Two doses of the MMR vaccine not only protect against measles but also prevent the immune system damage caused by measles infection. Vaccinated children retain their antibody stores and are not affected by immune amnesia.
Additionally, live-attenuated vaccines like MMR are believed to offer non-specific immune benefits, training the immune system to respond more robustly to other pathogens.
Measles is not merely a rash-causing illness; it induces immune amnesia by erasing the body's immunological memory, thereby significantly increasing susceptibility to secondary infections. The MMR vaccine protects not only against measles but also preserves immune resilience, reinforcing the importance of high vaccination coverage in safeguarding individual and public health.
Petrova, V.N., et al. "Infection with Measles Virus Causes Long-Term Immune Amnesia." Nature Communications, vol. 10, 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10662-4.
Infectious Diseases Society of America. "Know the Facts About Measles." Accessed July 2025. https://www.idsociety.org/ID-topics/infectious-disease/measles/know-the-facts.
Mina, Michael J., et al. "Measles Virus Infection Diminishes Preexisting Antibodies that Offer Protection from Other Pathogens." Science, vol. 366, no. 6465, 2019, pp. 599–606. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31672841/.
(Rh/Dr. Thansiya A K/MSM/SE)
