LA County child dies from SSPE linked to measles

A school-age child in Los Angeles County has died from a rare, delayed brain complication of measles contracted in infancy, county health officials said Thursday, underscoring concerns about falling vaccination rates and a resurgence of the virus nationwide. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed the child, who was too young to receive the measles vaccine at the time of infection, died of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, an incurable disorder that causes progressive brain damage and is nearly always fatal.

County health officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a statement that the case is "a painful reminder of how dangerous measles can be, especially for our most vulnerable community members," and urged community immunity to protect infants who cannot yet be vaccinated. The department said it could not release further details about the child's age, gender or location because of patient privacy laws, but confirmed the measles infection occurred before the child was eligible for the MMR vaccine.

SSPE is an uncommon but devastating long-term complication of measles. Medical literature estimates roughly one in 10,000 people who get measles will develop...