Measles Vaccine Likely To Be Ineffective In Children Born By Caesarean Section - New Study

Measles is an acute viral respiratory illness. It is characterized by a prodrome of fever (as high as 105°F) and malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis -the three “C”s -, a pathognomonic enanthema (Koplik spots) followed by a maculopapular rash. The rash usually appears about 14 days after a person is exposed.

Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Once quite common, measles can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine.

Also called rubeola, measles spreads easily and can be serious and even fatal for small children. While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 200,000 people a year, mostly children.

As a result of high vaccination rates in general, measles hasn't been widespread in the United States in about two decades. Most recent measles cases in the U.S. originated outside the country and occurred in people who were unvaccinated or who didn't know whether or not they had been vaccinated.

Researchers found that a single dose of the vaccine is up to 2.6 times more likely to be "completely ineffective" in youngsters born by C-section, compared to those born naturally.

Failure of the vaccine means that the child’s immune system does not produce antibodies to fight against measles infection, so they remain susceptible to the disease.

The research team says it is "vital" that children born by C-section receive two doses of the measles vaccine for "robust" protection against the disease

A second measles jab was found to induce immunity against measles in C-section children.

Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases, spread by coughs and sneezes.

It starts with cold-like symptoms and a rash and can lead to serious complications including blindness, seizures, and death.

Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, there were major measles epidemics every few years causing an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

But even low vaccine failure rates can significantly increase the risk of an outbreak.

Scientists say that a potential reason for the effect is linked to the development of the child’s gut microbiome – the huge collection of microbes that naturally live inside the gut.

The new study, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Fudan University, China.

Joint senior author Professor Henrik Salje, of Cambridge University, said: “We’ve discovered that the way we’re born - either by C-section or natural birth - has long-term consequences on our immunity to diseases as we grow up.

“We know that a lot of children don't end up having their second measles jab, which is dangerous for them as individuals and for the wider population.

“Infants born by C-section are the ones we really want to be following up to make sure they get their second measles jab because their first jab is much more likely to fail.”

He said at least 95 percent of the population needs to be fully vaccinated to keep measles under control.

But the UK is well below that level, despite the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine being available through the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.

An increasing number of women around the world are choosing to give birth by C-section.

In the UK a third of all births are by C-section, while in Brazil and Turkey, more than half of all children are born via that method.