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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health encourages residents to make sure that all members of their families are protected against measles following the recent tragic death of a school-aged LA County resident from a complication of measles infection acquired during infancy. The child was originally infected with measles as an infant before they were eligible to receive the measles vaccine — routinely recommended to be administered between 12 and 15 months. Although they recovered from the initial measles illness, the child developed and ultimately died from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis or SSPE—a rare but universally fatal complication that can occur in individuals who had measles early in life.
SSPE is a rare, progressive brain disorder that is a late complication of infection from the measles virus. SSPE usually develops two to ten years after the initial measles infection after the patient seems to fully recover. It is characterized by a gradual and worsening loss of neurological function with death occurring one to three years after the initial diagnosis. There is no cure or effective treatment. It is rare, affecting about 1 in 10,000 people with measles, but the risk may be much higher — about 1 in 600 — for those who get measles as infants.
Measles is highly contagious and can be prevented with a safe and effective vaccine. People who are not immune are strongly recommended to receive the measles-mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine. The MMR vaccine is effective and remains the best protection against measles and its potentially serious complications.
Public Health encourages all residents to:
Common symptoms for measles include:
Measles can be prevented with a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR or MMRV).
Details: ph.lacounty.gov/measles.
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