What to know about measles

Measles, one of the world’s most contagious infectious diseases, can cause serious complications – such as blindness, pneumonia or encephalitis, swelling of the brain – and even turn deadly, especially in children younger than 5.

As a measles outbreak causes dozens of illnesses in West Texas, it’s important to know how to identify signs of the illness – especially in young children. Measles, one of the world’s most contagious infectious diseases, can cause serious complications – such as blindness, pneumonia or encephalitis, swelling of the brain – and even turn deadly, especially in children younger than 5. “About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the US with measles will be hospitalized, and as many as 1 in 20 children with measles will get pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death from measles in young children,” Dr. Melissa Stockwell, a professor of pediatrics at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said in an email. Overall, she said, it’s estimated that up to 3 out of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications. “If a family has concerns, I urge them to please reach out to their child’s health care provider so they can talk with them and get the facts about measles and measles vaccination,” Stockwell wrote. The best protection against measles is vaccination against the virus. But a record share of US kindergartners had an exemption for required vaccinations last school year, leaving more than 125,000 new schoolchildren without coverage for at least one state-mandated vaccine, according to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October.