New research has highlighted the critical role of undernutrition in amplifying the risk of measles outbreaks, particularly in regions grappling with food insecurity. The study, involving over 600 fully vaccinated children in South Africa, reveals that those suffering from undernutrition exhibited significantly lower levels of measles antibodies, even after vaccination.
Conducted by researchers from McGill University, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, and the University of Pretoria, the study tracked the children’s growth over time as an indicator of undernutrition and measured their antibody levels through blood tests. By age five, children who had been stunted at age three showed, on average, a 24 percent reduction in measles antibody levels compared to their peers of typical size.
Published in Vaccine, the findings suggest that undernutrition may shorten the duration of vaccine-induced immunity, raising concerns about the ability of vaccines to fully protect undernourished children from measles.
Senior author Jonathan Chevrier, an Associate Professor at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Health and Epidemiology, stressed that addressing child hunger could play a crucial role in preventing viral outbreaks.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes symptoms such as fever, cough, and a distinctive rash, and can result in severe complications, especially in young children. Once largely controlled, measles has resurged in several regions, including Canada, where the country reported its highest number of cases in nearly a decade in 2024.
Global measles cases had steadily declined from 2000 to 2016, but the trend reversed in 2018. The resurgence has been attributed to factors such as under-vaccination and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being preventable through vaccination, measles is making a strong comeback in many parts of the world.
“We need to vaccinate children against preventable infectious diseases and ensure they are adequately protected,” said Brenda Eskenazi, the study’s first author and Professor Emerita of Public Health at UC Berkeley. “This is especially crucial now, as climate change is expected to increase the spread of known diseases.”
Chevrier pointed out that in 2022, approximately 22 percent of children under the age of five globally—around 148 million children—were stunted, with the highest rates in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. These regions are already experiencing the effects of undernutrition, which may compound the risk of measles outbreaks.
The research team plans to continue monitoring the children involved in the study as they grow older to determine whether the effects of early-life undernutrition persist over time.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
You Might Be Interested In:
-
Breakthrough Study Reveals Mechanism for Cognitive Improvement in Dementia Using Cannabinoid Drug
-
Genetic Risk for Dementia Influences Family Planning and Parenting Decisions, Study Reveals
-
High Red Meat Consumption Linked to Increased Dementia Risk, Study Finds
