44

Also called Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), it affects like 1 in 5,000 people who contract measles (vaccinated), but jumps to 1 in 609 in the unvaccinated.

Basically, you get measles and then seem fine, but anywhere from months to 15+ years later, you develop brain inflammation, seizures, spasms, blindness, and coma, and it’s basically 100% fatal. The disease attacks your nerves and brain. There’s no treatment or cure, and it hurts the whole time you’re dying. It can take months or more of excruciating suffering to kill you. It’s similar to rabies, in that you lose all control and are guaranteed a protracted, painful death.

It’s preventable by getting the measles vaccine.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 2 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Yes, that’s the point.

Contrary to my sibling’s comment, the point here is that it’s 1 in 5,000 people who get measles despite being vaccinated, which is rather rare. This is why the number jumps so much in the unvaccinated (nothing to do with infants – it’s just that infants are when we normally give this vaccine; the disease usually happens in children and young adults who weren’t vaccinated as infants).

this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
44 points (95.8% liked)

Today I learned

12021 readers
17 users here now

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS