Children not vaccinated against measles are more likely to die from other illnesses, warns a new study

Infection with the virus increases the risk of other life-threatening conditions in the next two to three years, according to the findings. Youngsters may catch other bugs which they previously developed immunity to – which was erased by measles. It mainly spreads through memory cells – resulting in a phenomenon called immune-amnesia. The immune system cannot remember some of the diseases it has fought in the past – exposing children to re-infection. The US team’s findings explain the mysterious large drops in mortality of up to 50% following the introduction of measles vaccinations. Prior to vaccines, measles was usually associated with much less than half of childhood deaths. That went unnoticed in previous years because clinicians would not, for example, link a death from another disease back to a measles infection. The child may have had it two years earlier – and that wiped away the immune memory for the other infecting pathogen. Dr Michael Mina,...