Amid a global rise in measles cases, new research suggests malnutrition may be exacerbating outbreaks in food-insecure areas.
A study involving more than 600 fully vaccinated children in South Africa found that those who were malnourished had substantially lower levels of measles antibodies.
Researchers from McGill University, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and the University of Pretoria tracked the children’s growth over time as an indicator of malnutrition and measured their antibody levels using blood tests. Children who were stunted around age three had an average of 24 percent lower measles antibody levels at age five compared to their typical-sized peers.
The findings, published in Vaccine, suggest that malnutrition may affect the duration of vaccine protection.
This indicates that addressing childhood hunger could be a key piece of the puzzle in preventing viral outbreaks, said senior author Jonathan Chevrier, associate professor in McGill’s Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health and Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology. and Global Environmental Health.
A growing threat around the world
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes symptoms such as rash, fever and cough, and can lead to serious complications, especially in young children. The disease is a threat in regions where it was once under control, including Canada, which in 2024 reported its highest number of cases in nearly a decade.
“Global measles cases declined between 2000 and 2016, but the trend reversed in 2018, driven in part by lack of vaccination and the impact of the pandemic. Measles is now making a strong comeback in many parts of the world despite that can be prevented with vaccination and adequate immunity,” said co-author Brian Ward, professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill.
“We need to vaccinate children against preventable infectious diseases and ensure they are protected,” said first author Brenda Eskenazi, professor emeritus of public health at the University of California, Berkeley. “This is especially important now, given that many known diseases are expected to spread with climate change.”
About 22 percent of children under five worldwide (about 148 million) were stunted in 2022, Chevrier added, with the highest rates in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The team plans to monitor the children in the study as they grow to understand whether the effects of malnutrition persist in the first years of life.
This study was funded by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.