Measles continues to spread in West Texas and New Mexico. About 300 cases have been reported, since the outbreak began in January - but the actual number is likely higher. The communities where measles continues to spread people are largely unvaccinated. At the same time some isolated measles cases have been reported in a dozen other states - largely linked to international travel.In most of the U.S., vaccination rates are still high enough to stop a major outbreak. But if they continue to fall, we could see long-term consequences of measles in the future. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: Who is Dr. Alex Yanovich and what story does she share?
Dr. Alex Yanovich, a pediatrician, is still haunted by the memory of a teenage boy whom she treated at the start of her career. He had contracted measles when he was just seven months old, too young to have been vaccinated.
He got the virus from a child in his neighborhood who was unvaccinated.
The infection was relatively mild, and the infant recovered and grew up to be a bright, healthy kid.
He was an honors student and just a charming, delightful kid.
But then he started developing troubling symptoms in middle school.
He started getting lost between classes. Lost, like he couldn't find what class to go to next.
Eventually, he was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. It generally develops 7 to 10 years after a measles infection.
The problem is that there is no treatment for it. And he basically became more and more incapacitated over time.
And studies suggest that this condition, which is almost always fatal, is more common than once thought. Since the measles outbreak in remote parts of West Texas and New Mexico began in January, more than 300 cases have been reported. And the communities where measles continues to spread, they're largely unvaccinated. Consider this.
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Chapter 2: What are the long-term consequences of measles infections?
They're really, really low. So no vaccine is 100% effective, but measles is pretty darn high, 97% effective. And you know what? The more people in a community are vaccinated, the more effective the vaccine is for everyone.
Absolutely. That is NPR's Maria Godoy. Thank you so much, Maria. My pleasure. This episode was produced by Mallory Yu and Connor Donovan. It was edited by Jeanette Woods, Nadia Lansi, Jane Greenhalgh, and Courtney Dorney. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Elsa Chang.
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