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

Health leaders urge vaccination to protect infants who are not yet eligible for the MMR shot.

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1972: In this handout from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a histopathology of measles pneumonia is seen in this microscope image from 1972. Measles outbreaks have been reported throughout the U.S., with the latest reported February 5, 2015 at a daycare in suburban Chicago where as many as five children under the age of one have been infected. (Photo by CDC via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Officials said the school-age child contracted measles as an infant and later developed subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a progressive and universally fatal brain disorder.
  • SSPE typically appears two to ten years after measles infection and most patients die within one to three years of diagnosis, with no cure or effective treatment.
  • Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis called the case a reminder that infants depend on community immunity, urging families to review vaccination status and watch for symptoms.
  • The risk of SSPE is estimated at about 1 in 10,000 measles cases overall but rises to roughly 1 in 600 when infection occurs in infancy, according to county health officials.
  • The CDC has recorded 1,454 U.S. measles cases this year, the most since elimination in 2000, and while activity has eased since Texas ended a major outbreak in August, localized clusters continue; two MMR doses are about 97% effective.