UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: US Measles Update- February 2015- Part 2

Keywords: Measles, outbreak, complications (PubMed Search)

Posted: 2/19/2015 by Jon Mark Hirshon, PhD, MPH, MD
Click here to contact Jon Mark Hirshon, PhD, MPH, MD

The Centers for Disease Control continues to report increased numbers of measles patients in the US. From January 1 to February 13, 2015 there have been 141 cases. It has spread to 17 states and the District of Columbia, with 80% linked to the multistate outbreak from Disneyland.

Measles is not a benign disease!

Per the World Health Organization, there were 146,700 measles deaths globally in 2013. Most of these deaths occur in lower- and middle-income countries,

Even in the US, measles can cause serious complications and death. Complications from measles can be seen in any age group, but particularly in children <5 years of age and in adults >20 years of age.

Measles Complications:

Common:

Ear infections (about 1 in 10 children)
- Can result in permanent hearing loss
Diarrhea (about 1 in 10 people with measles)

Severe:

Pneumonia (as many as 1 in 20 children)
- Most common cause of death
Encephalitis (about 1 in 1,000 children)
- Can lead to seizures, hearing loss, intellectual disability
Death (1 to 2 per 1,000 children)
Measles in pregnancy can cause premature birth and low-birth-weight babies

Long-term:

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)
- Aside from the long-term complications above, an estimate 4 to 11 out of every 100,000 will develop this fatal disease of the central nervous system 7 to 10 years after infection.

Bottom Line:

Per Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC: “This is not a problem with the measles vaccine not working. This is a problem of the measles vaccine not being used.”

References

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/complications.html