Wendy Zukerman (Host)

These are the immune cells that, you know, if you've been infected with a cold before or the flu or COVID, you have cells that remember this infection so that hopefully next time you get it, either you won't even feel symptoms because your immune system will kill it so quickly. It'll say, oh, I remember this enemy. I know how to kill it.

These are the immune cells that, you know, if you've been infected with a cold before or the flu or COVID, you have cells that remember this infection so that hopefully next time you get it, either you won't even feel symptoms because your immune system will kill it so quickly. It'll say, oh, I remember this enemy. I know how to kill it.

Or the disease will be much milder the second, third time around.

Or the disease will be much milder the second, third time around.

And this study on the Dutch outbreak, it was specifically looking at whether measles affected something called the antibody repertoire. You can think of it almost like a little library of antibodies that your immune system makes against the infections that you've had. And what they found is that unvaccinated kids who got measles... On average, they lost around 20% of their antibody library.

And this study on the Dutch outbreak, it was specifically looking at whether measles affected something called the antibody repertoire. You can think of it almost like a little library of antibodies that your immune system makes against the infections that you've had. And what they found is that unvaccinated kids who got measles... On average, they lost around 20% of their antibody library.

But there was this huge range. In the worst case, it erased more than 70% of a kid's repertoire. What does this mean? So next time you get infected with the cold, the flu, COVID, what?

But there was this huge range. In the worst case, it erased more than 70% of a kid's repertoire. What does this mean? So next time you get infected with the cold, the flu, COVID, what?

You can kind of think about it like a computer virus that's getting into your hard drive and deleting all of these programs that help you fight off infections. Some papers even call this immune amnesia. This immune effect where measles is killing off your antibodies, this happens to... to some extent, to everyone who gets a measles infection. This is not just for complicated, serious cases.

You can kind of think about it like a computer virus that's getting into your hard drive and deleting all of these programs that help you fight off infections. Some papers even call this immune amnesia. This immune effect where measles is killing off your antibodies, this happens to... to some extent, to everyone who gets a measles infection. This is not just for complicated, serious cases.

Wow. When you read that paper, what did you think?

Wow. When you read that paper, what did you think?

Now, Peter told me that if you are unvaxxed and you do get measles, your immune system isn't screwed for life. But you'll probably need to get exposed to all of these viruses and bacteria, the colds, the flus again, to start building that antibody library back up.

Now, Peter told me that if you are unvaxxed and you do get measles, your immune system isn't screwed for life. But you'll probably need to get exposed to all of these viruses and bacteria, the colds, the flus again, to start building that antibody library back up.

To go back to our hard drive analogy, it's like you've got to boot up the old computer, reinstall those missing programs, kind of one by one. And this could take months or even years to get back to where you were. Scientists are still trying to work all of this out. But still, this is what we know about a so-called mild measles infection. And then there's the more serious cases.

To go back to our hard drive analogy, it's like you've got to boot up the old computer, reinstall those missing programs, kind of one by one. And this could take months or even years to get back to where you were. Scientists are still trying to work all of this out. But still, this is what we know about a so-called mild measles infection. And then there's the more serious cases.

In the current outbreak, around one in 10 people have been hospitalized. And so I asked Dr. Maru Sheel from the University of Sydney in Australia why exactly a measles infection might land you in the hospital. Like, what is it doing that's so bad? And she said that the most common complication is actually pneumonia.

In the current outbreak, around one in 10 people have been hospitalized. And so I asked Dr. Maru Sheel from the University of Sydney in Australia why exactly a measles infection might land you in the hospital. Like, what is it doing that's so bad? And she said that the most common complication is actually pneumonia.

In fact, one of the kids who died in Texas in the current outbreak, an eight-year-old girl, died from lung failure. And it is expected that roughly one in 500 children who get measles will die from it. In around one in a thousand cases, measles can cause encephalitis, which basically means that you get all of this inflammation in your brain and your brain swells up. This can lead to convulsions.

In fact, one of the kids who died in Texas in the current outbreak, an eight-year-old girl, died from lung failure. And it is expected that roughly one in 500 children who get measles will die from it. In around one in a thousand cases, measles can cause encephalitis, which basically means that you get all of this inflammation in your brain and your brain swells up. This can lead to convulsions.