Measles is a very contagious disease from which the body takes a long time to recover. Even when the acute infection appears to be over, it still has an effect. The disease permanently weakens our body's defenses and makes us vulnerable to other bacteria and viruses. This was recently discovered by an international team of researchers from Germany, the Netherlands and England. According to the latest research, between 10% and 15% of children in England have their immune systems weakened for years after a measles infection. This means that these patients are more likely to become infected with other viruses and suffer from complications such as ear infections.
Measles infection continues to be dangerous long after healing
In order to find out the cause of this temporary immune suppression, the scientists examined the immune cells of vaccinated andunvaccinated peoplecompared. After numerous tests, they were able to determine an important difference between the two groups of test subjects. The vaccinated people and the people who never had measles had stable numbers of B cells. In the second test group - people who had had a measles infection, the number of B cells was partially mutated. These cells are considered memory cells and are forthe body's immune responseresponsible. The scientists also conducted numerous experiments with animals. They first immunized the test animals against influenza and then infected them with a measles-like virus. They were able to determine that soon after the measles illness, the immune response to the flu was also impaired. As a result, a large number of the animals also became infected with flu. The conclusion: Measles infection can have a negative impact on other vaccinations and on immune memory. The human body becomes susceptible to dangerous bacteria and viruses and each new disease can lead to complications.
For more details you canthe Studyread in English.
