02/24/2026
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world and its impacts can last far beyond the initial illness.
This powerful piece from The Atlantic explores what measles can do to a child, a brain, and a family.
It’s a sobering reminder of why prevention matters. Take a moment to read.
You’ve taken your daughter to a birthday party. In the air, invisible, is the measles virus. Even if she survives, the virus may never be done with her, or the other people it has infected. Elizabeth Bruenig on what measles can do to a body, to a brain, and to a family: https://theatln.tc/VQQA8Di1
The virus might be transmitted “from an infected but asymptomatic child who was hopping and laughing among the others,” Bruenig writes. “The infected aerosolized droplets will linger in the air for hours, which is partly why measles is among the most contagious diseases in the world.”
“The virus infects roughly 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed to it; the infected can then, in turn, infect a dozen to several hundred people each,” Bruenig writes. “Among the unvaccinated, one in five people infected with measles in the United States will require hospitalization, and roughly two out of every 1,000 infected children will die of complications, regardless of medical care.”
After two weeks of steadily worsening symptoms, your daughter and infant son are diagnosed with measles. “Your daughter is in pain and bewildered and afraid, but you tell her everything is okay,” Bruenig writes. “You try to keep your voice even, though your heart is pounding.”
“Most children infected with measles will survive the virus, but 30 percent of cases lead to complications, and it is nearly impossible to predict which patients will be affected,” Bruenig continues. Your son “lost some of his hearing, but the doctors say that he could make a full recovery in a matter of months.”
Eight years later, your son begins acting uncharacteristically. He is diagnosed with a rare measles complication that leads to irreversible degeneration of the brain. “There are treatments but no cure,” Bruenig writes. “Your son will continue to lose brain function as time passes, resulting in seizures, severe dementia, and, in a matter of two or three years, death.”
“You look at your son, the glasses you picked out with him, the haircut he chose from the wall at the barbershop, the beating heart you gave him,” Bruenig continues. “You know that you, too, will never recover.”
Read more at the link. https://theatln.tc/VQQA8Di1
📸: The Atlantic
