Deaths / year
165,907
GBD (indicative unless refreshed)
DALYs / year
14,278,089
GBD
Pathogen
Virus
Post-infectious
Lasting sequela
Persistent symptoms
~1 per 100,000 cases (SSPE)
measles cases
Supplemental viral disease — not on WHO NTD list; included for post-viral research parity.
Post-infectious syndrome & persistent symptoms
Whether a post-acute infection syndrome is documented and the literature proportion with persistent symptoms.
Documented post-infectious syndrome
SSPE; post-measles immune amnesia; chronic lung sequelae
~1 per 100,000 cases (SSPE)
persistent symptoms — of measles cases
Summary
SSPE is rare but devastating (1:100,000–1:10,000 cases); immune amnesia affects broader survivor population; bronchiectasis in a subset of survivors.
Timeframe
months to years post-infection
Evidence strength
moderate
Classification
Lasting sequela
Sources: Campbell 2019 Lancet Infect Dis (SSPE); Laksono 2020 Science (immune amnesia); WHO measles
Therapeutic agents by stage
Vector control, prevention, acute treatment, and post-infectious care. Only agents with published evidence are shown by default.
Prevention
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMR / measles-rubella vaccination | Vaccine | Approved | Live attenuated vaccine; herd immunity backbone | WHO measles elimination |
| Vitamin A supplementation (endemic/deficient settings) | Micronutrient | Approved | Reduces mortality and complications in children | WHO measles |
Acute phase
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supportive care (fluids, fever control) | Supportive | Approved | No antiviral standard of care | WHO EML / standard of care |
| Vitamin A (acute illness) | Micronutrient | Approved | WHO-recommended twice-daily dosing in severe measles | WHO |
| Antibiotics for bacterial superinfection | Antibiotic | Approved | Pneumonia, otitis media complications | WHO EML / standard of care |
Post-infectious phase
| Agent | Type | Status | Mechanism / role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSPE surveillance & supportive neurology | Supportive | Approved | Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (rare late sequela) | WHO; Campbell 2019 |
| Bronchiectasis & pulmonary rehab | Rehabilitation | Approved | Post-measles chronic lung disease in survivors | Published case series |
Associated drug targets (Open Targets): TMC3, CD40LG, C4B, CD46, KIR3DL1, STARD5
Burden: IHME GBD (indicative seed unless refreshed) · Therapeutics: curated WHO EML / SOC + Open Targets pipeline · Post-infectious data: curated peer-reviewed literature · Ontology: MONDO_0004619 · Updated 2026-07-10. Associations, not a diagnostic test.