I have a 12 month old daughter who has recently been exposed to measles, as she played with her older cousin the day before she come out in a rash and got diagnosed. I know the likelihood of my daughter getting measles is now high and i'm prepared to keep my eye open for symptoms and are aware of what they are. However, I told my mother in law this and she said 'well you always get measles before chickenpox anyway'. She found it very unusual that I suffered from chickenpox but not measles as a child. These days babies have an MMR at 13 months and another just before school- I don't know what it was in the 80's/90's when we were kids. I was wondering if this 'measles before chickenpox' thing is true and if this is actual medical fact or old wives tale. I had never heard of this before.
it's an old wives' tale; there's no basis for it in reality. They are caused by different organisms. Chicken Pox is caused by the Varicella-Zoster virus. Once you've had it, it never goes away - goes to nestle in your spinal cord, which is why some people who have had chicken pox later get shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus; when a person is under a great deal of stress, the virus can become active again. Measles is caused by a different virus. The reason children aren't immunized until after 12 or 18 months is because their bodies still have antibodies that are passed from their mother during pregnancy. You'll probably want to watch for signs & symptoms, but she should still have the antibodies that you gave her.
Thanks for that, I thought it sounded strange and didn't know whether to believe it or now. I am keeping my eye on her but I'm not too worried x
