The WHO regards measles as one of the world’s most contagious diseases. While it is unpleasant for most who contract the disease, serious complications can include visual disturbances, hepatitis, meningitis or encephalitis, and even death.27,28

Public Health England said the “steep rise” in measles cases in 2018 arose mainly due to people traveling to and from Europe where there were “large ongoing measles outbreaks.” Romania and Italy were of most concern in May 2018. Particularly affected were “teenagers and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine when they were younger.”7

Patients more susceptible to developing complications include infants under one year, malnourished or immunocompromised children, as well as teenagers and adults. Typical complications of measles include:28

·       diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration;

·       earache/otitis media;

·       conjunctivitis;

·       laryngitis;

·       respiratory infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis and croup;

·       febrile seizures.

Very rare complications include visual nerve infection causing sight loss, cardiovascular and/or neurological disturbance, and a fatal form of encephalitis (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis or SSPE) in about one in 25,000 cases.

Measles in a pregnant woman can result in a miscarriage or stillbirth, or the baby being premature or have low birth weight.

Fortunately, a measles death in the UK is very rare, but globally there were 110,000 measles deaths in 2017. Between 2000 and 2016, the UK recorded 12 measles-associated fatalities (across all ages), including an infant with acute measles who died in 2016 through complications due to a secondary infection.7,27,29

A longer-term consequence of measles is that it can cause immunosuppression with the ‘immune memory’ disabled for two to three years after the infection occurred. Data from before mass measles vaccination was introduced suggests that this immune ‘amnesia’ can result in increased morbidity and mortality from non-measles diseases.30

Researchers have suggested that measles vaccination can therefore help preserve ‘herd immunity’’ or protection against non-measles diseases in the general population.