Measles endangerment for people from the 1970 vintage

Child dies of long-term consequences of a measles infection

03/16/2013

A measles disease can be devious and trigger years later a brain inflammation. Protection from it provides a vaccine. However, many people younger than 43 years of age in Germany lack the necessary immunization.

Especially younger people without adequate protection
All persons born in Germany after 1970 are advised to check their measles protection. In contrast to the elderly, many people in this population group can not provide adequate protection against the virus, informs Martin Lang, chairman of the Bavarian professional association of paediatricians. Two vaccinations are needed. If these are not registered in the vaccination certificate, or other information is available, the vaccines should be refreshed as a precaution. The highly contagious infectious disease affects mainly children, but it also affects adults. In addition to the typical red patches of skin it comes to fever and a weakened general condition. In some cases, life-threatening complications such as lung and brain inflammation may occur.

Women also protect their offspring with a vaccine
With a vaccine adult women also protect their offspring at the same time, if the protection is created before a pregnancy. Babies can be vaccinated only from the tenth month of life, explains the Augsburg pediatrician Lang. „Normally, however, children in their first year of life have nest protection. "Protected babies are given protection by their mother's and mother's milk.

Many lack the second necessary vaccine
The German Employees Health Insurance Fund (DAK) had carried out an evaluation of their insured in terms of measles and thereby found a certain vaccine fatigue. In 2008, a total of 9,227 adult DAK insured had been vaccinated and in 2009 only 706. A warning for younger adults pronounces Lang, when he addressed: „But 50 percent of the 19- to 39-year-olds are not sufficiently vaccinated today. "From this age group 20 to 30 percent would have no and the rest only one of the two required vaccinations.

14-year-old from North Rhine-Westphalia died from the sequelae of measles
How dramatic the consequences can be, shows the case of a 14-year-old boy from North Rhine-Westphalia, who died of the sequelae of measles. At the age of five he had become infected with it in the waiting room of a pediatrician. Regarding the little ones, Lang explains: „Unlike adults, babies have only a slight rash and a slight fever. "Years later, however, chronic inflammation of the brain can occur. „It inevitably leads to death. "

Natural vaccine protection has disappeared
By national measles waves, the population in this country before 1970 had established a natural vaccine protection. However, because of increasing numbers of vaccines, this natural immunization has disappeared and now the implants that have persisted since then become a problem. Women who want to get pregnant, Lang recommends to take care of protection at an early stage. „I can not vaccinate during pregnancy. There are no tests on whether the baby in the body can tolerate the vaccine. "And men are also advised to take a look in their vaccine book, because „if they are not vaccinated, they help the measles virus to spread further. "(sb)

Also read:
Why measles are contagious
Measles increasingly common in adults
Germany as a measles exporter
First death toll from measles for years
Measles also affects adults
The infectious disease measles spreads
Impfkritik: How useful are vaccinations?

Picture: Picture: Aka