2023-10-19 16:21:29
Are we seeing the start of a measles epidemic in France? Between September 19 and October 17, 59 cases were diagnosed in the commune of Guilherand-Granges alone, in Ardèche. Most are middle school students from the Charles-de-Gaulle public establishment, which has 650 students. Three primary schools in the area are also affected, and four adults recently reported the illness. The situation could quickly worsen, experts fear, because measles is extremely contagious: in the absence of prior immunity, a patient infects on average between 15 and 20 people over a period ranging from five days before to five days after the appearance of the characteristic rash.
“Fortunately, the college’s vaccination coverage is very good: 95% of college students have received the two necessary doses. Otherwise, given the contagiousness of this virus, we would already have more than 300 cases”, reassures the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional health agency (ARS), which visited the site at the beginning of October to check the students’ vaccination records. Result : “100% of known unvaccinated people have caught measles”, explains the agency. That is 11 cases, including two children who had to be hospitalized for several days. Among the other infected schoolchildren, 32 received the two doses of vaccine which are supposed to offer effective and lasting protection against the virus.
Vaccinated people thus represent 74% of reported measles cases. A particularly high rate. During the last epidemics (2018-2019 or 2008-2011), 75% to 95% of contagions, on the contrary, occurred in individuals who were not or insufficiently vaccinated. This atypical situation undoubtedly explains the reluctance of the ARS to publicly communicate these figures.
The consequences of the 2008-2011 epidemic
At the end of a meeting with several experts, two hypotheses emerged. By analyzing the vaccination stamps in detail, it turns out that three quarters of vaccinated and contaminated children received their first injection before 1 year of age. Normally, the High Authority for Health recommends a first dose at 1 year of age, followed by a second between 16 and 18 months. Except… in an epidemic situation, where it is recommended to give the first injection as soon as the infant is in contact. The goal here is to avoid certain serious complications, including encephalomyelitis, an inflammation of the nervous system that occurs in 0.5 to 1 in 1,000 cases in infants.
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