As
cases of the deadly measles virus continue to circulate around the country, experts warn that infection remains a danger to peoples’ health even years after initial illness.
There are now hundreds of cases confirmed in Texas, New Mexico, and 14 other states. Two people who had not received preventative vaccines have died amid the outbreak, including a child.
While most children recover from measles, the virus impacts the ability of the immune system to respond to infectious organisms that can cause disease in the future - such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites.
"So whenever you get measles, you lose some of your immune memory. And the more severe your case of measles is, the longer it lasts, the more of your immune system is destroyed,” Stephen Elledge, a professor in the genetics department at Harvard Medical School, told
NPR on Monday.
The immune system’s memory helps to fight viruses, but measles can destroy the cells that hold that memory. In a recent study, Elledge and his colleagues found that unvaccinated children had lost between 11 percent to 73 percent of their antibodies, that help to identify foreign substances.
Previous research published in the journal
Science found that measles disables immune memory for up to three years.
"And when you lose that memory, then you're no longer immune to that particular pathogen," he said. "So the next time you get it, you've got to fight that battle all over again."………
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/measles-infection-outbreak-rash-cases-b2716577.html