Measles leaves children vulnerable to other diseases for years

Measles causes more than an acute illness: it suppresses immune memory and increases the risk of complications for years.

Measles is often seen as a routine childhood illness — a fever, a rash, and recovery — but complications are common. Even when it doesn’t kill, measles can cause lasting damage. It weakens the immune system, making people vulnerable to other infections for months or years. That means children who seem to recover may still face serious health risks long after the illness is gone.

In some countries, measles has re-emerged in recent years, leading to outbreaks that many thought to be a thing of the past. At the same time, the case for vaccination has come under renewed scrutiny. If measles deaths are rare in high-income countries, why worry?

But evaluating the harm caused by measles isn’t just about the number of deaths. It’s also about what the disease does to the immune system and the chain of complications it can set off. Preventing measles matters — not only to stop the virus but to protect children from subsequent infections.

In this article, I explain how measles spreads and damages the body’s defenses, and why preventing it is still critical.