It was frightening enough for Ariel Loop to discover that her 4-month-old son Mobius had contracted measles at Disneyland almost two years ago. He had received his other recommended vaccines, but he had been too young to be vaccinated against measles, a disease which kills an estimated 1 to 2 individuals per 1,000 in high-income, developed countries. Her son recovered well, but by then, she learned about an even more frightening, albeit rare, risk.
“Finding out about a complication that could kill my son practically out of nowhere, even a decade later, was pretty horrifying,” Loop told me. “I knew of the inherent risks of active measles, but knowing it could come back was a kick in the gut.”
