Measles Overview As We Are At This Risk Place Again
From the CDC: As of March 6, 2025, a total of 222 measles cases were reported by 12 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington.
Cases: 222 (almost the same as all of 2024)
Age:
Under 5 years: 76 (34%)
5-19 years: 99 (45%)
20+ years: 40 (18%)
Age unknown: 7 (3%)
Vaccination Status:
Unvaccinated or Unknown: 94%
One MMR dose: 4%
Two MMR doses: 2%
Deaths = 1 = 0.48% Mortality risk
One death was a school aged child who was unvaccinated.
17% of cases required hospitalization
What is measles - a refresher?
Measles is a serious, highly contagious and potentially deadly viral infection. It is caused by an RNA paramyxovirus. It is spread by contact with droplets from an infected person's nose, mouth or throat. Sneezing and coughing can aerosolize the droplets and increase the range of infectious spread. Symptoms usually develop 8 to 10 days following exposure to an infected individual. A sick individual is contagious for 4 days before and 4 days after symptom onset. The reproductive rate is very high at 12+ meaning that 1 person will infect 12 and those 12 will get 12 more sick (144) and then 144 X 12 = 1728 X 12 = 20,736 and you are off to the exponential races.
For comparison - some infectious outbreaks of the past and their estimated median r0 numbers are:
· Measles – 12-18
· Chickenpox – 10-12
· Polio – 10-12
· HIV/AIDS – 2-5
· SARS – 0.19-1.08
· MERS – 0.3-0.8
· Common Cold – 2-3
· Ebola – 1.56-1.9
· Seasonal Influenza – 0.9-2.1
· 1918 Influenza Pandemic – 1.4-2.8
· 2009 Influenza Pandemic – 1.4.1.6
· COVID19 – 0.4-5.7 (Shabir 2021)
Measles presents with high fever, rash, cough, myalgias, sore throat and red eyes. Children often look very sick. The rash begins 14 days after exposure and is characterized by red bumps that start on the head and move down the body. The illness can be mild or severe. Some children go on to get encephalitis, a brain inflammatory disorder that can be deadly. This occurs in 1 in 1000 cases of measles. Other complications include: pneumonia, ear infections and sinusitis.
Another rare but serious complication of measles is a disorder called sub-acute sclerosing pan-encephalitis. This is a brain disorder that occurs years after you have recovered from the virus. More below. The immune system over reacts to the virus and slowly causes sclerosis of the brain tissue leading to death. This occurs in 1 per 10,000 infected individuals. The measles death rate is 2 per 1000 cases in the current environment according to the Red Book. These deaths are clustered in the under five year olds and those with immune compromised states.
Measles is very dangerous for pregnant women. It can cause premature birth and miscarriage.
Since I have never seen this disease, I am again avidly reviewing the pictures and clinical history. It was all but eradicated from the US in the 1990's. My partner, Dr. Koontz, has seen it many times during his years of training in Texas in the 1960's. I listen to his stories and he confirms that this is a scary player when it is active and endemic. I encourage those with unvaccinated children to seriously reconsider their position on the vaccine or at least know what the illness looks like. Go to google images and look at the rash and Koplik spots which are pathognomonic for the illness.
If you think that you or your child may have measles, it is imperative that you inform your medical provider or the location that you are going to prior to showing up so that appropriate precautions can be taken to isolate the infected person as to limit the viral spread. Walking into the waiting room dramatically increases viral spread as it is spread through coughing and can live on any surface for 2 hours. Others can then touch a surface containing viral particles and become infected. This is how contagion begins.
Measles is not treatable but you can take Vitamin A as prescribed by your physician to help with the illness or potentially prevent it (a 50% beneficial effect - not even close to vaccination). Vitamin A deficiency is a known risk factor for a bad outcome when infected with measles. The reason for this effect is due to Vitamin A's important role in activating nuclear retinoic acid receptors in epithelial cells, mucous and on innate and/or adaptive immune cells. These necessary responses to vitamin A are hampered in a deficiency/insufficiency state leading to immune weakness and thus measles morbidity risk. Again, the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure rings true here. Keep adequate vitamin A stores by eating red peppers, carrots, salmon, liver and many other sources.
For a concise and deeper look at immune vitamin A we see: from the Linus Pauling website: "Vitamin A was initially coined “the anti-infective vitamin” because of its importance in the normal functioning of the immune system. The skin and mucosal cells, lining the airways, digestive tract, and urinary tract function as a barrier and form the body's first line of defense against infection. Retinoic acid (RA) is produced by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), including macrophages and dendritic cells, found in these mucosal interfaces and associated lymph nodes. RA appears to act on dendritic cells themselves to regulate their differentiation, migration, and antigen-presenting capacity. In addition, the production of RA by APCs is required for the differentiation of naïve CD4 T-lymphocytes into induced regulatory T- lymphocytes (Tregs). Critical to the maintenance of mucosal integrity, the differentiation of Tregs is driven by all-trans-RA through RARα-mediated regulation of gene expression. Also, during inflammation, all-trans-RA/RARα signaling pathway promotes the conversion of naïve CD4 T-lymphocytes into effector T-lymphocytes − type 1 helper T-cells (Th1) − (rather than into Tregs) and induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines by effector T-lymphocytes in response to infection. There is also substantial evidence to suggest that RA may help prevent the development of autoimmunity." (Linus Pauling Oregon State Web )
If you have a known exposure, seek medical help for possible vaccination or immune globulin therapy. (especially if you are high risk: Pregnant women, infants and people with weakened immune systems).
Measles will erase some immune memory.
As measles cases continue to climb worldwide, a group out of the Netherlands has shown that the measles virus can hijack the immune system of sick individuals wiping out it's memory to other pathogens. This is not a good thing as this makes the individual susceptible to these infections all over again potentially raising risk of a bad outcome.
Dr. Mina, lead author on the study in the Journal Science in 2019, noted that between 11 and 73% of the circulating antibodies that protect against diseases are lost post natural measles infection.
The abstract from the article states: "Measles virus is directly responsible for more than 100,000 deaths yearly. Epidemiological studies have associated measles with increased morbidity and mortality for years after infection, but the reasons why are poorly understood. Measles virus infects immune cells, causing acute immune suppression. To identify and quantify long-term effects of measles on the immune system, we used VirScan, an assay that tracks antibodies to thousands of pathogen epitopes in blood. We studied 77 unvaccinated children before and 2 months after natural measles virus infection. Measles caused elimination of 11 to 73% of the antibody repertoire across individuals. Recovery of antibodies was detected after natural reexposure to pathogens. Notably, these immune system effects were not observed in infants vaccinated against MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), but were confirmed in measles-infected macaques. The reduction in humoral immune memory after measles infection generates potential vulnerability to future infections, underscoring the need for widespread vaccination." (Mina et. al. 2019)
The bottom line is very simple. Measles is a nasty virus. It causes significant disease in 1 per 1000 affected individuals. Now, we have strong data that it wipes out long term immune memory in a much higher proportion of people putting them at risk for other infections and disease.
I remain convinced that vaccines are not the cause of autism. This fact stems from my 25+ years of medical observation in clinic. I pray that this reality remains true as vaccines are saving countless lives every year.
Dr. M
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