The article emphasizes that contracting measles is detrimental to the immune system rather than beneficial, countering misinformation that suggests otherwise. A recent outbreak affecting nearly 500 people across 19 states underlines the risks associated with the virus. According to Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, even mild cases can trigger 'immune amnesia' by destroying memory lymphocytes that provide defenses against other diseases. As a result, children who recover from measles may face heightened vulnerability to infections they previously could withstand. Vaccinations are crucial for preventing both measles and the subsequent loss of immune protections.
Getting measles doesn't confer benefits on the immune system - in fact, it's just the opposite. Even a mild case of measles destroys the memory cells that confer resistance on bugs the patient has previously fought.
An insidious but lesser-known consequence of even a mild measles infection is that it kills the very cells that remember which pathogens the patient has previously fought and how those battles were won.
Measles destroys lymphocytes that defend against other bugs to make way for ones that defend against measles, an immunity won at the cost of other protections.
If a child gets sick with measles, 'for the next two or three years, you kind of have to be looking over your kid's shoulder.'
Vaccinations prevent both the measles and the subsequent loss of immune protections, which are crucial in maintaining overall health.
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