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4w ago

Los Angeles County Confirms Child’s Death From Rare, Fatal Measles Complication

Officials urged residents to check vaccination records to help protect infants too young for the MMR shot.

An illustration provides a 3D graphical representation of a spherical-shaped, measles virus particle studded with glycoprotein tubercles in this handout image obtained by Reuters April 9, 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE: A box and vial of the measles, mumps and rubella virus (MMR) vaccine. 
A child in California has died from complications years after contracting and recovering from measles, according to Los Angeles health officials.
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Overview

  • The school-aged child contracted measles in infancy before vaccine eligibility, later developed subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), and died, officials said.
  • SSPE is an incurable, progressive brain disorder that typically appears 2–10 years after measles; it affects about 1 in 10,000 cases overall but roughly 1 in 600 after infant infection.
  • Los Angeles County’s health officer called the case a painful reminder of measles’ danger and pressed for community immunity to shield those who cannot yet be vaccinated.
  • Two MMR doses are about 97% effective; routine dosing is recommended at 12–15 months and again at 4–6 years, with an early dose for some infants traveling internationally.
  • The CDC has recorded 1,454 U.S. measles cases this year, mostly in people who were unvaccinated or of unknown status, and LA County withheld identifying details about the child because of privacy rules.