LITTLESTOWN, Pennsylvania – A mother’s love was evident in the careful planning of her daughter’s 8th birthday party. Erica Finkelstein-Parker chose the “Flying High with Emmalee” theme, knowing her daughter’s love for airplanes. She wanted each of Emmalee’s classmates to feel included, so she filled nearly two dozen goody bags with brightly colored treats.
Tragically, the party never took place. Emmalee, who was adopted from an orphanage in India, developed a rare complication of measles and spent her last birthday in hospice care at home.
The resurgence of measles around the world, a result of declining immunizations and rising vaccine hesitancy, has led to a heightened risk of serious complications and death, according to Dr. James Cherry, an infectious disease expert.
In recent months, numerous measles cases have been reported in several states, linked to unvaccinated travelers exposing others in hospitals and day care centers. The highly contagious nature of measles means that even one case is considered an outbreak.
The impact of measles can be devastating, with serious complications such as pneumonia and immune amnesia, leaving patients vulnerable to other infections. A fatal long-term complication, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), can develop years after apparent recovery from measles, as was the case for Emmalee.
The concerning trend of vaccine exemptions for religious, philosophical, or medical reasons is making it challenging to contain outbreaks, ultimately putting vulnerable children at risk.
Measles has been proven to be much more contagious than COVID-19 or the flu, making it crucial for communities to achieve a high vaccination rate to prevent outbreaks and protect those who are unable to receive the vaccine.