A child in California who suffered measles years ago has died from a rare complication of the disease.
Health officials in Los Angeles County announced Thursday that a school-age child in the county had been infected with measles as an infant before they were eligible to receive the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is first given between 12 and 15 months old and again between ages four and six.
The child recovered from the infection (details on when were not revealed) but later developed subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare brain disorder affecting one in 10,000 unvaccinated people who contract measles and one in 600 who get the virus as infants.
SSPE develops several years after the initial infection and leads to progressive neurological damage, with symptoms including mental deterioration, seizures, personality changes, involuntary muscle movements and eventually a vegetative state in which a person is awake and aware but cannot respond.
There is no cure, and the disease kills 95 percent of patients.
No further details, like age or sex, were released about the child.
Dr Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County Health Officer, said in a statement that the child’s case is ‘a painful reminder of how dangerous measles can be, especially for our most vulnerable community members.’
‘Infants too young to be vaccinated rely on all of us to help protect them through community immunity. Vaccination is not just about protecting yourself – it’s about protecting your family, your neighbors, and especially children who are too young to be vaccinated,’ he added.
An unidentified school-age child died from a rare complication of measles years after recovering from the initial infection as an infant (stock image)
The first dose of the MMR vaccine is recommended between 12 and 15 months of age, while the second comes between ages four and six.
The two-dose shot is 97 percent effective in preventing measles.
CDC data shows 96 percent of kindergarteners in California have received both doses of the MMR vaccine, just over the 95 percent needed to achieve herd immunity.
However, vaccination rates nationwide are dropping. In the US overall, just 92.5 percent of kindergarteners in the 2024-2025 school year were fully vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella.
The child’s death comes as the US faces a near-record measles outbreak, with 1,454 cases confirmed across 42 states so far in 2025.
The majority (803) cases have been in Texas, while California has reported 20.
Three people, including one in Colorado and two children in Texas, have died this year from the virus.
It’s the largest outbreak since 2,126 cases were reported in 1992, according to CDC data.
Measles is an infectious, preventable disease caused by a virus that leads to flu-like symptoms, a rash that starts on the face and spreads downward across the body, and, in severe cases, pneumonia, seizures, brain inflammation, permanent brain damage, and death.
The virus is spread through direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air.
Patients with a measles infection are contagious from four days before the rash through four days after the rash appears.
The US has reported more than 1,400 measles cases in 2025, the highest tally since the disease was declared ‘eliminated’ in 2000
The above CDC map shows MMR vaccination rates among kindergarteners in each state
People who are not vaccinated have a 90 percent chance of getting sick if they are exposed, even from sharing the same air, briefly or hours later, with someone who has measles. Three in 1,000 people who contract measles will die.
Deaths typically occur from acute encephalitis, or brain swelling, when the virus travels to the central nervous system, or pneumonia if it migrates to the lungs.
Before the current two-dose childhood vaccine’s approval in 1968, there were up to 500 US deaths each year from measles, 48,000 hospitalizations and 1,000 cases of brain swelling.
Roughly 3million to 4million people were infected every year.
SSPE occurs when the measles virus spreads within the central nervous system.
After initial infection it remains dormant in the brain before being reactivated, either randomly or through another infection, and causing inflammation that damages neurons over time.
Measles, pictured here, through direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air (stock image)
Because measles is generally rare due to vaccination efforts, the CDC suspects no more than 10 cases of SSPE are reported every year.
There are no treatments for SSPE, and the condition can only be managed with supportive care and anticonvulsant drugs to prevent seizures. It generally takes one to three years after initial measles infection for SSPE to become fatal.
SSPE does not cause symptoms while it lies dormant.
The Los Angeles County Health Department said in the statement: ‘Infants younger than six months are too young to be vaccinated and rely on maternal antibodies and community immunity to reduce their risk of exposure.
‘By getting vaccinated, individuals not only protect themselves but also help shield vulnerable populations — including infants, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems — from measles infection.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .