What is measles immune amnesia? Doctor explains how the virus infects immune cells
Measles is a serious, potentially deadly virus, but it can also impact someone's immunity long after the infection is gone.
The virus can damage the immune system in a process called "immune amnesia," raising the risk of other infections even after the person has recovered, explained Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, on "CBS Mornings" Friday.
"Measles infects immune cells, and when it does so, it damages immune cells and it partially wipes out your immune system's memory to certain infections, so that leaves you more susceptible to getting some of those infections," she said.
Measles isn't the only virus that can cause this. For example, HIV is another virus that infects the immune system.
Studies show immune amnesia can last months to a couple of years, according to Gounder.
"So it really does set a child back," she said. "Before kids were being vaccinated for measles, it's estimated that half of the deaths were actually from other infections they got later because of that weakened immune system."
There isn't much you can do to regain the immunity that they've lost aside from giving it time, Gounder said.
"It's just time, time for your immune system to build back up and recover," she said. "The best thing is not to get measles in the first place, and the best way to do that is to get vaccinated."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children get vaccinated with two doses of the MMR vaccine, with their first dose between the ages of 12 to 15 months. The second dose is recommended at about 4 to 6 years of age.
One dose is 93% effective against measles and the recommended two doses is 97% effective, research shows. The vaccine also protects against mumps and rubella, also known as German measles, which are caused by different viruses.
