Four-year-olds will die of measles, according to doctors

A vaccine can protect against measles

06/11/2014

Measles are often called „childhood disease“ trivialized. Few know that the disease can kill. Currently, many media report on the case of four-year-old Aliana, who is suffering from the long-term effects of measles and will die from it. The little girl had a complication, a chronic measles disease (SSPE), which always ends in death. Aliana's mother, Mirella Kunzmann, was not vaccinated against measles in her childhood. Therefore, her daughter lacked the so-called nest protection, which normally protects children from such diseases. The girl became infected with measles at the age of three months and has been a condition since then.

Measles vaccine protects the mother during the first months of life
Most children are still vaccinated against measles. Before that, the so-called nest protection of the first months of life combats teething. In the 70s and 80s, however, the vaccination rate dropped due to a decline in the number of infections. Aliana's mother is one of those who were not vaccinated against measles during her childhood. Therefore, her daughter was not protected from the pathogen in her first months of life. The little girl stretches with measles and became seriously ill. Today, the four-year-old child can neither sit nor talk and must be fed via a probe. If her mother had been vaccinated or if she had gone through the disease herself, the girl would have been protected.

Mirella Kunzmann and her husband have opened a Facebook page to raise awareness about the dangers of measles infection. Aliana's mother also specifically calls for vaccination against measles. „I can not understand that there are women who decide against vaccination because they endanger not only theirs but also our children“, quotes the online edition of the „Augsburger Allgemeine“ the mother of the girl. With a measles vaccine, the always fatal measles brain inflammation can be prevented. According to the Professional Association of Paediatricians, this long-term success occurs in Germany in one of 150 to 300 cases. In the past year, 86 infants have been infected with the childhood disease, this year there are 14 so far, as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) informed. Often, however, the disease is not detected or only very late. So it was in Alina's case.

Federal Center for Health Education advises measles vaccination
Most paediatricians and the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) strongly recommend vaccination. So women should clarify before pregnancy if they have been twice vaccinated against measles.

Vaccination critics, however, point out the risks of vaccination. Thus, the controversial vaccine opponent Hans Tolzin clear position. He was not convinced of the measles vaccine. The number of infections had already declined before the start of vaccinations and there were alternatives. The risk of a measles vaccine is also not calculable, so Tolzin. However, Alina's pediatrician points out that he has not had any side effects from vaccination in his thirty years as a physician.