Parents are holding ‘measles parties’ in the U.S., alarming health experts
Global News
As measles cases continue to rise in Texas amid an ongoing outbreak, health officials are warning against so-called "measles parties," calling the practice dangerous.
As measles cases continue to rise in Texas where a child recently died, health officials are warning against so-called “measles parties,” calling the practice “foolishness” and dangerous.
The messaging follows an ongoing outbreak in West Texas, where 146 cases have been reported since late January. Cases have now reached New Mexico, health officials said. An unvaccinated school-aged child in the region has also died amid the surge.
Cases are also on the rise in Canada, with British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec bearing the brunt of the outbreak.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, spreading through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It primarily affects children, which is why health officials are warning against “measles parties.”
These parties are an attempt by parents to intentionally expose their children to someone infected with measles to build natural immunity. The idea is similar to “chickenpox parties” that were common before the chickenpox vaccine.
During a Feb. 28 media briefing hosted by the City of Lubbock, Texas, Ron Cook, chief health officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, warned individuals about the severity of measles.
“There are severe outcomes like pneumonia or death. There is encephalitis or inflammation of the brain. Even more rare, but it can happen … years down the road after you develop measles, you can get what is called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, which is fatal. It is a known side effect of having measles.”
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a progressive, disabling and fatal brain disorder caused by a past measles infection. Symptoms typically appear six to eight years after infection as the virus gradually destroys brain cells. There is no known cure.
