A deadly complication of measles in young children that strikes years after infection may be more common than previously thought, according to a study presented on Friday that stressed the importance of vaccinations against the highly contagious disease.
The risk of acquiring the always fatal neurological disorder, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), was believed to be about 1-in-1,700, based on an earlier German study of children under five years of age infected with measles.