Which children are more vulnerable to get measles?

However, there are several groups that are more likely to suffer from measles complications:

• Children younger than 5 years of age.
• Adults older than 20 years of age.
• Pregnant women.
• People with compromised immune systems, such as from leukemia or HIV infection.

Who is the most susceptible person at risk to get measles?

Who is at risk? Unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death. Unvaccinated pregnant women are also at risk. Any non-immune person (who has not been vaccinated or was vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected.

What is the percent chance that a susceptible non immune individual would be infected with measles if they came in contact with a person experiencing an active infection?

When you consider that fewer than 10\% of children in the U.S. overall are not vaccinated against measles, the fact that at least 71\% of cases occurred in unvaccinated individuals gives a sense of how much more vulnerable this population is to infection with measles, which is one of the most contagious infections known …

Can measles make you sterile?

It mainly affects the glands. Symptoms are swollen saliva-producing glands in the neck, fever, headache, and muscle aches. A feared complication is that it can affect the testicles in males and cause sterility. It can also cause other serious complications.

How can you avoid getting measles?

The only way to prevent measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. One MMR vaccine provides around 93 percent protection against measles. A second booster dose, which started to be recommended in 1990, helps to improve the effectiveness of the measles vaccine to more than 97 percent.

What is the fatality rate for measles?

Most people survive measles, though in some cases, complications may occur. About 1 in 4 individuals will be hospitalized and 1–2 in 1000 will die. Complications are more likely in children under age 5 and adults over age 20.

Can you get measles if you are vaccinated?

It’s possible, but very unlikely. The combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is a two-dose vaccine series that effectively protects against all three viruses. In fact, more than 93 percent of people who get the first dose of MMR develop immunity to measles.