Health

How Measles Attacks an Unvaccinated Child

Published

1 year ago

April 5, 2025

How Measles Attacks an Unvaccinated Child

For a child who is not vaccinated against measles — one of the world’s most infectious viruses — no classroom, school bus or grocery store is safe. Nine out of 10 unvaccinated people exposed to an infected person will catch it, and once measles takes root, the virus can damage the lungs, kidneys and the brain.

With falling U.S. vaccination rates and outbreaks that have caused more than 580 cases and at least one death, health experts expect measles to infect hundreds or even thousands more across the nation. Here is how measles takes over the body.

Unlike viruses that require person-to-person contact, measles lingers in the air for up to two hours after the person carrying it has left the space.

Droplets are enlarged for illustration purposes.

A child can inhale virus-containing droplets in a room where another child — unknowingly infected with measles — has been studying or playing an hour earlier. The virus can enter her body through the lining of her nose or mouth, or when she’s rubbing her eyes.

During the subsequent 24 hours, the virus takes root by lodging in her nasopharynx cells in the upper part of the throat and starts spreading to her lungs.

Then, the virus takes over, multiplying inside the cells and building up an army for an attack.

Within a few days, the virus begins to spread to infect the nearby lymphoid tissues. About a week after the initial exposure, infected cells begin traveling to other organs throughout the body. (At this time, the immune system of a vaccinated child would recognize the virus and fight it off.)

Typically, during the replication and spread of the virus, the child does not feel sick. The average incubation period is about two weeks — though it can range from one to three. When the viral load has increased significantly, it moves to infect other cells of the lungs and eyes, making the child feel ill.

A couple of weeks after the unvaccinated child inhales the droplets, she starts feeling sick.

Children often first show signs of malaise and a fever, followed later by reddish, irritated eyes, a cough and a stuffy nose as the mucus membranes and nasal passages become inflamed.

Some children at this stage develop millimeter-wide, whitish-gray bumps on the inner lining of the cheeks, as far back as the molars. For some, the spots go undetected, or do not show up at all.

Then comes the characteristic feature: the breakout of a red rash, starting on the face and spreading down the neck, trunk, and extremities.

Many of these symptoms should resolve themselves. The rash can last up to a week, often fading along the same route it appeared. The cough can last for up to two weeks after the illness has resolved. But a fever lasting beyond the third or fourth day of the rash suggests that a complication could be developing — and that is where cases can become dangerous.

Even as the rash fades, the infection can spread to the lungs and other organs.

Children are typically brought to the hospital after having the body rash for several days. Most have low oxygen levels and are laboring to breathe and need support, said Dr. Summer Davies, who sees children at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, and has been treating measles cases there since the outbreak started in late January.

“A lot of families have kind of been surprised, like, ‘Oh, my child was fine, and then all of a sudden, they’re not,’ ” she said.

That mild disease evolves into a fever as high as 104 or 105 degrees for two, three or four days. Poor fluid intake, a sore throat and diarrhea can lead to dehydration, which over time can begin to threaten kidney function.

Young children are more at risk because of their smaller anatomy and their inability to articulate symptoms clearly, explained Dr. Lara Johnson, the chief medical officer of a group of Covenant hospitals in the area.

About one in 20 children with measles will develop pneumonia, an infection in the lungs; and severe cases can be fatal.

Dr. Davies said many children admitted to her hospital recently had cases of pneumonia caused by either the measles virus or by a second pathogen that attacked while their immune systems were weakened.

The 6-year-old girl who recently died of measles in Texas had a case of pneumonia that caused fluid to build up in her left lung, making it difficult for her to breathe, according to a video interview with her parents that was posted online. She was eventually sedated and intubated, but she became too sick to survive.

One of the hallmarks of measles is what researchers call “immune amnesia,” the temporary weakening of the immune system. Measles wipes the protection children have acquired from other infections, which leaves them susceptible to other infections for several months or even years.

Inflammation in the brain

About one in 1,000 children who contract measles will also develop encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain tissue, which can result in permanent damage.

For infants or children who are already immunocompromised, a condition called measles inclusion body encephalitis (or MIBE) occurs when the child cannot clear the infection. It can trigger mental changes and seizures, leading to a coma and death in most patients.

Another type, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), is a degenerative condition that can occur up to a decade after a measles infection. Children often first show signs of behavior change and academic decline, followed by seizures, motor issues like poor coordination and balance, and eventually death. The mortality rate approaches 95 percent.

Erica Finkelstein-Parker, a mother in Pennsylvania who lost her 8-year-old child Emmalee to the condition, had not known that the girl had had measles before she had been adopted from India as a toddler. But she noticed one day that Emmalee was tripping and falling, slumping over to one side of her chair and struggling to lift her chin off her chest during dinner.

Doctors explained that there was no cure. Emmalee passed away about five months later.

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Health

Marriage status has surprising link to cancer risk, study suggests: ‘Clear signal’

Published

7 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Marriage status has surprising link to cancer risk, study suggests: ‘Clear signal’

Marriage linked to lower cancer risk, study finds

Dr. Namrata Vijayvergia, a medical oncologist, shares insights into recent studies on health and lifestyle, explaining why marriage correlates with lower cancer risk due to better social support and healthy behaviors.

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Adults who never married are significantly more likely to develop cancer, according to new research from the University of Miami.

A large study of more than 4 million Americans across 12 states found that this increased risk spans nearly every major cancer type. It is especially true for preventable cancers, such as types caused by smoking and infection.

Men who never married were found to have a 70% higher likelihood of cancer than their married counterparts. For women, that gap was even wider, with never-married individuals facing an 85% higher risk.

EATING MORE OF CERTAIN TYPE OF FOOD COULD SHORTEN CANCER SURVIVORS’ LIVES, STUDY FINDS

Previous research has linked marriage to better survival rates after a diagnosis, but this is one of the first studies to show that marital status could be a major indicator of whether a person will develop cancer in the first place.

“These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level,” study co-author Paulo Pinheiro, a research professor of epidemiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said in a press release.

Adults who never married are significantly more likely to develop cancer, according to new research from the University of Miami. (Getty Images)

Between 2015 and 2022, the team examined cancer cases diagnosed at age 30 or older and compared the rates of various cancers to the marital status of participants. They then broke down the data by sex and race and adjusted for age.

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Adult men who were never married had approximately five times the rate of anal cancer compared to married men, the study found.

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Adult women who were never married had nearly three times the rate of cervical cancer compared to women who were or had been married.

“It’s a clear and powerful signal that some individuals are at a greater risk,” Frank Penedo, director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute at the University of Miami, said in the release.

For women, being married (and often, by extension, having children) was associated with lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers. (iStock)

For women, being married (and often, by extension, having children) was associated with lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers, likely due to hormonal and biological factors associated with pregnancy, according to the researchers.

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Experts stressed that these findings do not mean marriage alone can protect against cancer.

“It means that if you’re not married, you should be paying extra attention to cancer risk factors, getting any screenings you may need, and staying up to date on healthcare,” Penedo said.

Experts stressed that these findings do not mean marriage alone can protect against cancer. (iStock)

The researchers also hypothesized that people who smoke less, drink less and take better care of themselves may be more likely to get married, meaning other factors could influence the findings.

More research is needed to confirm the outcome, they noted.

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The study was published in the journal Cancer Research Communications.

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.

Health

This everyday drinking pattern could quietly raise liver disease risk

Published

19 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

This everyday drinking pattern could quietly raise liver disease risk

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On the lookout

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→ Experts reveal hidden link between poor sleep and Alzheimer’s disease

Monica Deyanira Cabrera Barajas, 26, underwent a 20-minute extraction that turned into a high-stakes medical procedure. (Jam Press)

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→ Popular food additive linked to higher health risks in adults over 60

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This article was written by Fox News staff.

Health

Common vaccine slashes Alzheimer’s disease risk when dose is increased

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Common vaccine slashes Alzheimer’s disease risk when dose is increased

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A new, stronger flu shot could slash Alzheimer’s risk in half, according to new data.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), found that adults 65 and older who received a high-dose influenza vaccine had a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who received the standard dose.

The immune system naturally weakens with age, making older adults less responsive to standard vaccines. To combat this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a high-dose flu vaccine for people over 65. This version is approximately four times stronger than the standard shot.

ONE TYPE OF OLIVE OIL HAS A SURPRISING EFFECT ON BRAINPOWER DURING AGING

Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, affects more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News senior medical contributor, weighed in on the impact of the flu shot on Alzheimer’s risk.

Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, affects more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older. (iStock)

As the vaccine directly affects the immune system, it is possible that this interaction could decrease inflammation in the body and “thereby indirectly decrease Alzheimer’s risk,” Siegel, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.

“Flu shots and their components do not cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning they aren’t directly affecting brain cells.”

“We can’t conclude from this that it is the flu shot itself that causes the effect.”

“I was stunned that, as a physician, I didn’t know a higher dose was offered,” lead study author Paul Schulz, professor of neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, said in a press release.

Schulz also led a previous study linking general flu vaccination to a 40% reduction in Alzheimer’s risk.

While the previous research had already linked general flu vaccination to a reduction in Alzheimer’s risk, this new study looked specifically at the strength of the dose.

POPULAR DIET TIED TO LOWER DEMENTIA RISK FOR SOME GROUPS, STUDY REVEALS

“The public health department had seen our vaccine research and asked if I could come down to talk to them about it,” said Schulz. “We went through the findings, and they asked if there was a difference with different dosages; I was confused.”

Adults who received the quadruple-strength vaccine had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s than those who received the standard dose. (iStock)

After sorting through data from nearly 200,000 older adults, the team found the adults who received the high-dose vaccine had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s than those who received the standard dose.

Adults in the high-dose group had an almost 55% lower risk than those who weren’t vaccinated, significantly outperforming standard-dose protection.

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The protective effect of the high-dose vaccine was even more pronounced in women compared to men, although both groups saw significant benefits.

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This study shows a link, not a cause, the researchers noted.

Experts can’t say for certain that the flu shot itself stopped Alzheimer’s because people who get high-dose vaccines might also have other healthy habits, like better diets or more frequent check-ups.

The study focused on people over 65, so it’s unclear whether getting these shots earlier in life would provide the same level of protection. (iStock)

The researchers also looked at medical records after the fact, rather than following two controlled groups in real time, which can sometimes result in missing information or biases.

“This is not a cause/effect study,” Siegel reiterated. “We can’t conclude that the flu shot itself causes the effect; it could be something about the people who decide to take this shot.”

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The study also focused on people over 65, so it’s unclear whether getting these shots earlier in life would provide the same level of protection.

“This needs to be further studied, but it is already certainly another reason to take a flu shot,” Siegel added.

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The study was published in the journal Neurology.

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.