Measles also affects adults

Every second measles patient is adult.

Not only children get measles, but adults as well. This resulted in an evaluation of the German employee health insurance (DAK). Measles in adults is a serious condition that can take a serious course of the disease.

In the DAK evaluation of the last two years, a total of 360 DAK insured persons contracted measles. The surprising; About half of them were already adults and the other half of measles patients were children. DAK assumes that the number of unreported cases is far higher. When adults are ill with measles, the disease is often more serious and dangerous than it is in childhood. This is also reported by Dr. Elisabeth Thomas from the DAK: "Measles are no triviality, and when adults get ill, the disease is usually even more severe than in children, and there are more complications, such as lung or brain inflammation."

Parents should therefore necessarily check their vaccination status and that of the children, so the urgent appeal of the health insurance DAK. The evaluation suggests that a certain vaccine fatigue prevails. In 2008, a total of 9,227 adult DAK insured were vaccinated, compared to only 706 in 2009. The Standing Vaccination Commission recently recommended that young adults should have their vaccination status checked. Ostensibly, it is about the years 1970 and younger.

What symptoms causes measles? In addition to the typical red patches of skin, measles also causes fever and a very bad and weakened general condition. However, measles are not a simple childhood disease. In some cases, severe and life-threatening complications such as lung and brain inflammation may occur. In 2008, a total of 915 measles cases were reported, compared to 6037 in 2001. (sb)