this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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Today I learned

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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.

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[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I went back and checked. That 1 in 609 was about children under 12 months who contracted measles.

From the wiki source:

Among measles cases reported to CDPH during 1988–1991, incidence of SSPE was 1:1367 for children <5 years, and 1:609 for children <12 months at time of measles disease.

Everyone should still get vaccinated for measles to prevent any of it!

[–] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

That 1 in 609 was about children under 12 months who contracted measles.

Yeah, and the larger number was in a largely vaccinated population.

The 1 in 609 number is in unvaccinated populations.

It’s kind of apples to oranges, where the oranges are very stupid and never get protection and the apples are protected.

It’s a bit hard to compare these ratios in progressive populations where some are really dumb.