Deadly brain disorder can develop a decade after measles infection

A school-aged child in L.A. recently died after developing a rare neurological disease years after contracting the measles.

Authorities didn’t reveal many details about the case, except that the child was infected with measles as an infant, before they were eligible for the vaccine.

Measles is a respiratory disease that spreads easily from person to person. The first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is routinely recommended for kids between 12 and 15 months old. A second dose is given before kindergarten or first grade. 4

Pneumonia is the most common complication of measles — the infection can also lead to bronchitis, laryngitis, and, in very rare but severe cases, like the child in L.A. County, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).

After the initia