In a somber moment filled with cherished memories, Rebecca Archer gently places a pair of small glasses on a shelf adorned with various tokens of her daughter Renae's life, including trinkets and photographs. These glasses belonged to Renae, who tragically passed away at the tender age of 10 due to complications stemming from a measles infection.

“She was just really intelligent. Just a really happy child, always smiling,” Rebecca recalls, her voice tinged with nostalgia and sorrow.

Renae was merely five months old when she contracted measles, a virus that she was too young to be vaccinated against. The outbreak occurred in Manchester, England, back in 2013, exposing her to the virus despite her vulnerable age. Although Renae was hospitalized at that time, she made a full recovery and, for the next decade, her mother reported no further medical issues.

However, unbeknownst to them, the measles virus lay dormant in Renae’s brain for years. This insidious presence awakened later, leading to a cascade of devastating health problems. Renae began experiencing seizures, and subsequently lost the ability to speak, eat, or even stay conscious. Rebecca struggled to comprehend how something like measles could lead to such a tragic outcome.

“The fact that it was measles, I just couldn't get my head around it,” Archer lamented, her emotions still raw.

As measles cases continue to surge in Canada, reaching levels not seen in nearly three decades, and with vaccination rates for childhood immunizations, such as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, declining since the onset of the pandemic, Rebecca and others who have endured the tragic repercussions of measles complications are fervently urging those eligible to get vaccinated.

When Renae's seizures commenced, doctors diagnosed her with a rare complication of measles known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). This condition affects fewer than a dozen individuals out of every 100,000 measles cases. However, the risk significantly increases for children who contract measles before reaching 15 months of age, spiking to one in every 609.

Sadly, SSPE is almost always fatal, and medical professionals have limited options to intervene, a harsh reality that Rebecca had to confront. “I always had it in my mind, once we found out what was actually wrong, Renae, we'll get her back to herself again,” she shared, clinging to hope.

Ultimately, doctors delivered the devastating news that there was no brain activity detected in her beloved daughter, leaving Rebecca with the heart-wrenching decision to turn off Renae’s life-support machines. The realization that measles could inflict such damage was unfathomable, filling her with anger and a fierce determination to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination. “You never think it's going to happen to you,” she expressed, her fury palpable. “It does make me really angry, and makes me want to help people understand how serious it is.”

Dr. Michelle Barton, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, has only seen one case of SSPE in her career, and that was not in Canada, but rather in a developing nation. “It's a sad picture to watch, because there is really not much you can do,” she reflected. In a country like Canada, where measles was declared eliminated in 1998, the re-emergence of the virus has sparked concern among health professionals.

With measles cases surging across Canada, including reports in every province, Dr. Barton is increasingly aware that physicians may need to consider complications like SSPE more regularly. Despite the current outbreak resulting in no deaths, she remains cautious, as she sees some of the most critically ill patients within the province and strives to prevent a fatality.

In Alberta, the situation has become alarming, with officials reporting a dramatic rise in cases — 313 since the outbreak began in March. Similarly, Saskatchewan is witnessing a sharp increase, with cases doubling within the past week. Ontario, however, remains the epicenter of the outbreak, reporting a staggering 1,453 cases so far this year, primarily among individuals who are not fully vaccinated against the highly contagious virus.

Dr. Upton Allen, who leads the infectious diseases division at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), has expressed deep concern regarding the rising figures. For children with healthy immune systems, the risk of facing complications such as pneumonia or severe ear infections stands at approximately one in every ten cases. Additionally, measles can lead to encephalitis — inflammation of the brain — at a rate of one per 1,000, significantly increasing the stakes for those with compromised immune systems. “They need to be protected,” Dr. Allen emphasized, underlining the importance of vaccinating those surrounding them.

Survivors of measles may also face lifelong challenges, as illustrated by the story of 73-year-old Barbara Leonhard from Columbia, Missouri. Barbara contracted measles in the late 1950s, long before a vaccine was available. She vividly recalls her legs giving way, losing the ability to speak, and eventually falling into a 30-day coma due to the virus causing swelling in her brain. Upon waking, she was told she would never walk again. “It felt like I was condemned, like a sentence was passed,” she recounted. Despite the odds, Barbara refused to accept her fate. Through sheer determination, she spent months teaching herself to walk again, though she still grapples with muscle weakness attributed to her past encephalitis. Today, she implores parents to vaccinate their children against measles, highlighting the risks that come with the disease: “You have to think about the life of your child, what you're risking.”

Rebecca Archer, still enveloped in grief over the loss of her daughter, hopes that by sharing her family's story, others will be inspired to get vaccinated. She advocates for reaching herd immunity — ideally 95% — a threshold she believes could have saved Renae’s life. “I’m sharing my story with the hope that others will understand the stakes — so no other parent has to go through what I did,” she concluded, passionately calling for a collective effort to prevent further tragedies.