Can measles wipe out body's memory, immunity to other infections?
As of March 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 222 measles cases in 12 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington. That's considerably more than was reported the week before.
But one of the possible consequences of measles hasn't received as much attention as public health officials would like. The name says it all. 'Immune amnesia' is damage to the immune system that causes it to forget someone has previously had other illnesses. That raises the risk of being reinfected with something to which the body should actually have antibodies.
As the American Society for Microbiology reports, 'Without memory of past infections, the immune system is less able to fight off pathogens. The problem is that sometimes pathogens are responsible for the immune amnesia. Measles virus — an incredibly contagious virus that is currently spreading in the U.S. and other regions — can trigger immune amnesia."
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital found several years ago that measles can wipe out between 11% and 73% of a person's antibodies. Those are protective when it comes to getting the same illness again.
Or, as BBC put it, 'Scientists have known for years that measles can alter the immune system — but the latest evidence suggests it's less of a mild tweaking and more of a total reset."
Measles is a resurging worldwide issue. The BBC reported that the number of measles cases reported in Europe in 2023, for instance, was 45 times higher than in 2022.
The viral illness is very contagious. People can be infected two hours after someone who has the illness leaves the area after coughing or sneezing or contaminating surfaces.
Symptoms range from high fever, runny eyes and nose and general misery to serious complications and even death. The CDC says 20% of those in the U.S. who get infected need to be hospitalized. And lasting consequences, 'including brain damage and vision and hearing loss,' among others, are possible.
The public health agency said that there have now been two deaths believed to be connected to measles. One case of a child in Texas has been directly linked to measles and the other, in New Mexico, is being investigated, though it is known that the individual tested positive for measles.
Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told 'CBS Mornings' that the ability of measles to block the immune system's memory can last months to a couple of years.
'It really does set a child back,' she said. 'Before kids were being vaccinated for measles, it's estimated that half of the deaths were actually from other infections they got later because of that weakened immune system.'
While measles infection eventually loses its power to wipe immune memory, the lost memory is simply gone. Colds, flu, COVID-19 and even vaccinations you've had before contracting measles may disappear. Per the BBC, 'The loss is near-total and permanent. Once the measles infection is over, current evidence suggests your body has to re-learn what's good and what's bad almost from scratch.'
'In a way, infection of the measles virus basically sets the immune system to default mode,' Mansour Haeryfar, a professor of immunology at Western University, Canada, said in the article, 'as if it has never encountered any microbes in the past.'
Research says measles does not wipe out memory of its own visit, however.
Harvard researchers explained how the memory wipe works: 'If a person had 100 different antibodies against chicken pox before contracting measles, they might emerge from having measles with only 50, cutting their chicken pox protection in half. That protection could dip even lower if some of the antibodies lost are potent defenses known as neutralizing antibodies.'
One of the Harvard scientists, Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology, created an analogy to explain the effect. Picture immunity from pathogens as a book full of photos of criminals you'd like to locate. But someone punched holes in those pictures. 'It would then be much harder to recognize that criminal if you saw them, especially if the holes are punched over important features for recognition, like the eyes or mouth,' he said.
Immune amnesia is of global concern. For instance, last August, Sri Lanka's Epidemiology Unit in the Ministry of Health called it a form of 'extended immunosuppression.'
Per that bulletin, measles virus primarily targets alveolar macrophages in the lungs and a type of receptor that makes it easier for the virus to get into cells, where it releases viral genetic material into the cell. The infection is carried to the lymph nodes where it infects and destroys T-cells and B-cells to obliterate memory of preexisting immunity to illness. For two or three years, that memory-suppressing work continues, creating risk for infections.
The article said that after a child is infected with measles and recovers, routine childhood vaccines should be done over to be sure that they will protect the child.
The Sri Lanka bulletin's conclusion contains a plea: 'The fight against measles is not merely a battle against a single disease; it is a fight to maintain the integrity of our immune systems and, by extension, the health of future generations.'
Health experts are urging people to be vaccinated against measles if they are not already. The World Health Organization reports that measles killed an average of 2.6 million people each year before a vaccine was created. Even now, amid a decrease in access worldwide and lower uptake in some communities, 7 million people are infected and more than 100,000 die worldwide.
Utah is among states that have no case of measles this year, but both Utah state and Salt Lake County health officials have issued news releases encouraging people to take precautions against measles, including ensuring that children are current on their mumps, measles and rubella vaccination. Utah is among states that allow exemptions. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services reports that Utah kindergartners are below the 95% vaccination rate needed to confer herd immunity and make it harder for the virus to spread to those who are not vaccinated.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
11 hours ago
Suspected gunman in CDC shooting had grievance toward Covid vaccine: Sources
The man suspected of opening fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's sprawling campus late Friday had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him sick and depressed, according to information gathered by law enforcement and sources close to the suspect. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials caution that the information is preliminary at this time. Patrick White is believed to have struggled with his mental health, according to that information. As he grappled with those issues, sources said, White had become increasingly fixated on the COVID-19 vaccine as a source of his grievances. Several Kennesaw residents who knew the 30-year-old suspected shooter told ABC News they had heard White express similar angry and conspiracy-minded sentiments. One neighbor, who asked not to be named, said White would sit on her porch for long stretches, often complaining that after he got the COVID-19 shot, he had lost a lot of weight, developed problems swallowing and gastrointestinal issues. And, the neighbor said he believed the media and government weren't covering it. "He thought the vaccines were killing him and that people needed to know the truth," the neighbor said, adding that she didn't agree with him, but would listen. White's father declined to comment on his son when reached by ABC News. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the probe, declined to comment on a potential motive. Infectious disease experts maintain that mRNA vaccines like those used against COVID-19 have been studied for decades and that the shots were instrumental in saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC. Though the COVID-19 vaccines have been highly politicized and subject to a deluge of mis and disinformation, experts say they are safe and effective. Long-term adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are generally very rare, according to the CDC. All CDC employees nationwide, except for essential on-site personnel, have been instructed to work remotely on Monday as Georgia investigators continue probing Friday's deadly active shooter incident near the agency's Atlanta headquarters, according to a letter obtained by ABC News. In the letter, CDC leadership told the agency's more than 10,000 employees that both federal and local law enforcement are conducting "intensive monitoring of all potential threats to CDC and its staff, current and past" to ensure their safety. Investigators have yet to reveal the motive behind Friday's shooting, but the CDC leadership said in the email, "What we know about the incident is that this was a targeted attack on CDC related to COVID." DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was fatally shot after responding to the reported gunfire. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, officials said at a press conference Friday evening. During the shooting, the suspect fired multiple rounds at CDC buildings, breaking windows, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a press conference. In the aftermath of the shooting, four other people were transported to an area hospital for stress and anxiety-related reasons, the police chief said.
Epoch Times
13 hours ago
- Epoch Times
COVID-19 Activity Increases Across US, Mostly on West Coast: CDC
COVID-19 levels are rising in the United States, with the highest numbers occurring along the West Coast, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Aug. 8, the CDC said that the national wastewater viral activity for COVID-19 increased from 'low' to 'moderate' from the previous week, according to an Epoch Times review. The region with the highest number of cases is the western United States, it said.
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
With COVID-19 cases on the rise, shifting federal guidelines spark widespread confusion over vaccine eligibility
Aaron Hardwick woke up one Tuesday in June and immediately knew something was wrong. He felt hot, and his stomach hurt. He soon tested positive for COVID-19. 'The fever, the insomnia and the chills, and the shaking, was out of this world,' said Hardwick, 45, of Rogers Park. 'That was something I've never had before in my life.' Hardwick said he was last vaccinated for COVID-19 in 2023. He'd like to get vaccinated again in the future to avoid reliving his recent illness. But he isn't sure if that's possible. 'I don't know what we're supposed to do,' Hardwick said. 'Can we get the shot? Are we supposed to? Who knows?' With fall approaching and COVID-19 activity rising across the country, confusion over vaccines is widespread. Mixed messages from the federal government have left patients, doctors and public health leaders uncertain about how and which COVID-19 vaccines will be administered to whom in coming months, and what health insurance will cover. The shots can cost more than $100 each without insurance. Though COVID-19 vaccines released last year are still available at the moment and covered by insurance, the uncertainty surrounds who will be able to get updated vaccines in coming months — shots created to protect against more recent strains of COVID-19. Like flu vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines are updated regularly. 'I think there's still a lot of confusion among people who would be in the know about what to order, how much to order and the fact we don't know what's covered,' said Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist at UChicago Medicine, about ordering updated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall. 'It's very difficult to make decisions about what to order if you don't know how many of your patients are going to qualify for a certain treatment or vaccine.' Some doctors say they are already starting to get questions from patients about COVID-19 vaccines for the fall, as students head back to school and cases of the illness seem to be rising. Landon and a number of other doctors are recommending people get the most updated vaccines that they can in the fall, and local health departments are moving forward with plans for vaccine clinics, where they hope to offer updated shots to anyone over the age of 6 months who wants them. As of Aug. 5, COVID-19 infections were growing or likely growing in 45 states, including Illinois, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. In recent years, each summer has brought with it a wave of the illness. Nimbus, also known as 'razor blade throat,' was the most prevalent strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of June, according to the CDC. Though Nimbus can cause a very sore throat in some people, experts say it doesn't seem any more severe than previous variants. Hardwick's bout with what he believes to be Nimbus was harrowing, he said. He had vivid nightmares and a headache at the base of his skull that was strong enough to completely block out his hearing. About three weeks after he tested positive for COVID-19, he experienced Bell's palsy, which is when a person has sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of their face. The condition can follow viral infections. 'It's still pretty serious,' Hardwick said of COVID-19. 'I wish we would take it a little more seriously than we are.' Confusing COVID-19 vaccine guidance Typically, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices makes vaccine recommendations in June for the fall respiratory season. Those recommendations help determine who receives vaccines and whether insurance plans will cover them. That committee, however, has not yet made recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccines for the fall. All of the committee members were recently replaced at the direction of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also not approved any updated COVID-19 vaccines for this fall, though those approvals typically come at the end of August or early September. Instead, individual federal health leaders have made sometimes contradictory remarks about what to expect in the fall when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines. In May, leaders of the FDA published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine saying that, moving forward, the FDA would approve COVID-19 vaccines only for people ages 65 and older and younger people with underlying conditions. They wrote that the vaccines would only be approved for healthy adults after 'randomized, controlled trial data evaluating clinical outcomes.' The policy 'balances the need for evidence,' wrote the paper's authors, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Vinay Prasad, who recently resigned from the FDA as a top official over vaccines . The trouble is that clinical trials take time, and the COVID-19 virus is constantly changing, Landon said. 'Clinical trials are not feasible because you don't know what strains to make it for until the strain is here,' Landon said. Further complicating matters, a week after the New England Journal of Medicine article was published, Kennedy announced in a video posted to social media that the CDC would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. 'Last year the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children,' Kennedy said. The CDC no longer recommends the vaccine for healthy children, but says it may still be given as part of a 'shared decision-making clinical process' between doctors and parents. Kennedy's announcement also seemingly contradicted the New England Journal of Medicine article which said the FDA would likely approve the vaccines for people at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, including pregnant women. A CDC immunization schedule now says 'no guidance/not applicable' when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women. '(Kennedy) just came out and said these two populations don't need the COVID-19 vaccine, which is completely ridiculous,' said Dr. Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Lurie Children's Hospital and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics and five other medical organizations sued Kennedy and other federal health care leaders in early July over the changes. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that with the COVID-19 public health emergency over, it's time for a new phase in response to the virus. 'A rubber-stamping approach to approving COVID boosters in perpetuity without updated clinical trial data under the Biden Administration is now over,' the statement said. Illinois health leaders making plans Illinois health care leaders and pharmacies — where many people typically receive COVID-19 vaccines — say they're moving forward with plans to administer updated COVID-19 vaccines but won't know exactly how that will look until they receive further guidance. The Chicago Department of Public Health hopes to administer updated COVID-19 vaccines to anyone who wants them, said Dr. Alexander Sloboda, medical director of immunizations and emergency preparedness for the Chicago Department of Public Health. 'At this time, we don't plan to limit (the vaccine) to any particular groups, really anyone 6 months and older should be getting the updated vaccine, but there are some unknowns at the federal level of what the final recommendations will be, what will be available, what the coverage will look like,' Sloboda said. The Cook County Department of Public Health also hopes to make updated COVID-19 vaccines available to anyone ages 6 months and older, said Dr. Kiran Joshi, chief operating officer at the Cook County Department of Public Health. CVS Health said in a statement that, 'If approved (by the FDA), we plan to carry the updated COVID-19 this fall' cautioning that 'patient eligibility will be defined by the FDA and CDC.' Walgreens also plans to administer updated COVID-19 vaccines this fall, and is also awaiting guidance on who will be eligible for them, said Samantha Picking, senior director of immunizations at Walgreens. The Illinois Department of Public Health plans to release an advisory regarding COVID-19 vaccine recommendations as it gets closer to the fall respiratory season, after consulting with the state's Immunization Advisory Council, state health leaders and national experts, the state health department said in a statement. States typically follow CDC recommendations, but that could change given all the disagreement over vaccines this year. When asked whether providers could follow state recommendations rather than federal ones, if the two differ, a spokesperson for the state health department said in an email: 'Yes. As always, health care providers should use evidence-based practice and patient-centered clinical judgment to make individual patient-care decisions.' But even if providers choose to give updated COVID-19 vaccines to healthy, younger adults, questions remain about whether health insurance will cover the shots. Federal law requires insurers to cover vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and adopted by the CDC director, according to KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy. It's unclear whether that committee will recommend updated COVID-19 vaccines for everyone. Without insurance, COVID-19 vaccines can cost as much as about $130 or $140 a dose, according to the CDC. The largest health insurer in Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, said in a statement it has not made any changes to its coverage for COVID-19 vaccines, but it is monitoring 'any activity that may impact preventive care recommendations and will communicate any changes to recommendations that may impact standard coverage of preventive services.' Health insurance industry group AHIP said in a statement in late June that, 'We are committed to ongoing coverage of vaccines to ensure access and affordability for this respiratory virus season.' The many lingering questions have left people like Roger Naglewski, 55, wondering if they'll be able to get COVID-19 vaccines in the fall. Naglewski runs the Facebook group Chicago Vaccine Hunters, which started several years ago when finding scarce doses of COVID-19 vaccines felt akin to winning the lottery. 'I want to get one at the next opportunity I can,' Naglewski said of COVID-19 vaccines. Even though more treatments for COVID-19 are available now than several years ago, 'I just don't want to get sick for 10 days and get knocked off my feet. In addition, I don't want to have any of the issues people have had with long haul COVID.' He worries, however, that many people won't get vaccinated against COVID-19 this year, given all the confusion and upheaval. About 59% of adults surveyed by KFF say they will 'probably not' or 'definitely not' get a COVID-19 vaccine this fall. That would be in line with COVID-19 vaccination trends in recent years. As of the end of June, only about 12% of Illinois residents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine updated for the 2024-25 season, according to the state health department. 'This administration has basically been putting out nonscientific information and what's happening is this is causing severe confusion among the public,' said Tan, with Lurie and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 'What the public needs to do is you need to speak to your health care provider that you have a good relationship with to get sound scientific information on why getting vaccinations is so important.'
