Adults unprotected against measles may present with a range of illnesses if the virus suppresses the immune system, doctors warned today.
The analysis was published amid concern about the impact of reductions in MMR vaccination rates at the turn of the century. Over the weekend Public Health England warned of an outbreak of mumps, which affected 5,000 people last year.
In one case a young man developed hepatitis as well as measles, the doctors in Malta reported.
In a second case a young woman presented with appendicitis, triggered by the viral infection.
The third patient, a middle-aged man, presented with blurred vision and a severe headache. He was diagnosed with viral meningitis, caused by measles.
Writing in BMJ Case Reports, the doctors say that other complications can be pneumonia, febrile seizures and encephalomyelitis.
In 2017 the disease killed 110,000 people worldwide while across Europe some 10,000 cases were reported in the first six months of last year.
Dr Thelma Xerri, of the Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta, writes: “Urgent efforts are needed to ensure global coverage with two-dose measles vaccines through education and strengthening of national immunisation systems."
Clinical lesson: Complications of measles: a case series doi 10.1136/bcr-2019-232408. BMJ Case Reports 18 February 2020
http://casereports.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bcr-2019-232408
Leave a Reply