Let’s Talk About Measles Encephalitis
It is another complication of a natural measles infection.
Despite folks who push the idea that measles is just a rash, if you are going to skip or delay getting an MMR vaccination, you should know about measles encephalitis.
What is It Like to Have Measles?
Of course, measles is much more than just having a rash.
There is the high fever, irritability, cough, red eyes, and other symptoms that can last a week or longer.
“Ethan came down with a severe rash and a fever on January 21. In the days that followed, his appetite diminished and he grew weak to the point where he could no longer stand up by himself. He began to fade in and out of consciousness.”
Mom of 7-year-old hospitalized with brain swelling from measles: ‘I still wouldn’t have given my son the vaccine’
And that’s why so many people with measles end up going to the ER, often more than once.
But that’s just when you have a typical or routine measles infection…
Let’s Talk About Measles Encephalitis
If you have complications of measles, your symptoms will be worse - much worse.
With measles encephalitis, symptoms can include:
continued fever
nausea and vomiting
headache
altered level of consciousness
behavioral disturbances
disorientation
speech disturbances
seizures
hemiparesis (weakness or mild paralysis on one side of the body)
And as with measles, there is no cure for measles encephalitis.
“Mortality is 5% in children and 25% in adults. Some children who appear fully recovered demonstrate subtle long-lasting deficits in attention or decision-making ability or behaviour when evaluated more than 3 years after acute post-measles encephalitis.”
Measles-induced encephalitis
It is one of the reasons measles is a life-threatening disease.
“Ethan’s parents took him to the emergency room at Spartanburg Medical Center, where he was admitted overnight and put on antibiotics. Doctors at the hospital told the parents their son could be suffering from measles encephalitis, but they couldn’t be sure until they ran further tests the next day…
Doctors suggested Ethan’s parents could take him to Greenville Memorial Hospital, a larger facility with more specialists. Because their son was in so much distress, his parents decided to take him home and keep a close eye on him…
Less than 48 hours later, though, on Jan. 30, Ethan’s condition deteriorated to the point where he had “no movement at all,” his mom said…
To the parents’ relief, doctors were able to stabilize Ethan’s heart rate and he was admitted to the intensive care unit, where his mom and dad sat by his bedside all night anxiously watching the heart rate monitor. The next morning, Ethan underwent another MRI and second spinal tap.
“That’s when they told us that there’s inflammation in the center of his brain, and they were waiting for the spinal tap to confirm that it is measles encephalitis,” Kristina said.
Doctors explained to the couple that the swelling on the brain would impact Ethan’s movement and speech.
“It’s why he’s…he’s pretty much as if he was paralyzed,” Luis said.”
Mom of 7-year-old hospitalized with brain swelling from measles: ‘I still wouldn’t have given my son the vaccine’
And why most of us choose to get ourselves and our families vaccinated, to avoid getting sick with measles, not letting anti-vaccine influencers scare us away from protecting our families.
We know that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks.
More on Measles Encephalitis
Fisher DL, Defres S, Solomon T. Measles-induced encephalitis. QJM. 2015 Mar;108(3):177-82. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hcu113. Epub 2014 May 26. PMID: 24865261.
Mom of 7-year-old hospitalized with brain swelling from measles: ‘I still wouldn’t have given my son the vaccine’ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/measles-encephalitis-south-carolina-anti-vaccine-b2918500.html
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