Yes, and not in a good way. Getting measles definitely is not a better way to strengthen your child's immune system than getting the vaccine.
Immune amnesia
The measles virus can actually cause
immune amnesia. In other words, it can make the immune system forget how to fight infections.
Immune amnesia only happens after a
measles infection. It is not caused by the
measles vaccine.
To keep your child's immune system strong and protect against potentially serious infections, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Here's what to know about the measles virus and how the vaccine prevents long-lasting side effects caused by the virus.
How does the immune system respond to measles?
Your child's immune system makes
memory cells after infections. And vaccines can also stimulate the making of memory cells. These memory cells remember the germs. If your child is exposed to the germ in the future, their memory cells can quickly make
antibodies to keep them from getting infected.
The measles virus can wipe out immune memory—of other harmful viruses and bacteria. This side effect, known as
immune amnesia, can affect anyone who gets measles. It happens when the measles virus attacks the memory cells in the
immune system.
The measles virus, one of the world's most contagious, knows how to find and get rid of the helpful memory cells. This immune amnesia can erase up to 73% of your child's
immune memory.
When some or all of the memory cells are gone, it is harder for your child's immune system to remember germs and fight off
infections. Your child will have immunity to measles, but their immunity to other
diseases will be lower. Vaccines and new infections are the only way to get this immunity back.
SSPE: a deadly brain disease caused by measles
Measles can also cause a complication called
subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Overall, SSPE is rare, affecting 1 to 2 in 100,000 people who get measles. About 18 in 100,000 children younger than 2 years who get measles will develop SSPE. Here's what we know.
SSPE typically happens 7 to 10 years after the infection with measles. It is related to ongoing, low-level growth of the measles virus.
Symptoms start with progressive personality and worsening nervous system problems that lead to seizures.
SSPE is thought to always result in death.
There is no cure, but SSPE is preventable with vaccines.
Pediatrician Alex Cvijanovich shares a heartbreaking story of a teen who died from a rare complication of measles years after the infection.
Remember
Most children with measles recover from the infection without problems. But in some children, measles can cause pneumonia, brain swelling (encephalitis), deafness or even death. Even after a measles infection, it can take
years for the immune system to return to normal. Children who get measles will be at risk of getting more frequent infections while their immune system gets back to normal.
The MMR vaccine is the only way to prevent long-term problems from the measles virus. Two doses of MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against measles infection. Getting the MMR vaccine stops the virus in its tracks and keeps your child healthy.
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