The diseases we vaccinate against have declined, but they haven’t disappeared. All vaccine-preventable diseases can make people very sick; some can kill.
Measles starts with a fever that can get very high. Other symptoms that may occur are cough, runny nose, and red eyes; rash of tiny red spots that start at the head and spread to the rest of the body; diarrhea and ear infection.
Measles is a serious, contagious respiratory disease that can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children. For some children, measles can lead to pneumonia (a serious lung infection), lifelong brain damage, deafness, and even death.
Before the vaccine, almost all children got measles – roughly 48,000 were hospitalized each year, 7,000 had seizures, 1,000 suffered permanent brain damage, and 450 died. Measles still kills about a half million people a year around the world. About one person in 1,000 who gets measles will die and almost everyone who has not had the MMR shot will get measles if they are exposed to the measles virus.
Measles can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, administered at 12 through 15 months and 4 through 6 years of age. Infants 6 months to 11 months old should have one dose of MMR shot before traveling abroad.
Sources:
CDC: Parent’s Guide to Childhood Immunizations
CDC: Vaccines for Your Children
CDC: Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and the Vaccines that Prevent Them
Measles Vaccine: Our Best Protection