Measles, high risk of death. Dr. Mihai Craiu: “Don't play Russian roulette with your own child. The price paid would be too high!”

Dr. Mihai Craiu, one of the best-known paediatricians in Romania, claims that the risk of death from measles complications is extremely high, and the only solution is vaccination. “Don't play Russian roulette with your own child,” warns the doctor.

“More and more are starting to appear outbreak of measles in our country. The news of the last few days confirms this trend of spreading a highly contagious disease. There are still voices that believe that the risk of the disease is lower than the risk of measles vaccination. I do not wish to argue with any person who has strong but wrong beliefs. I just want to inform you that the risk of death from complications of measles is extremely high,” writes Dr. Mihai Craiu, primary pediatrician at the “Alessandrescu-Rusescu” Mother and Child Health Institute in Bucharest, on his Facebook page Virtual Children's Hospital.

According to the specialist, one in 1000 patients could develop acute encephalitis or other fatal complications.

“The proof is the two seven-month-old infants who recently died in Romania. I do not dwell on the risks of acute illness, as they are obvious and extremely well studied. I will tell you what can happen after he had a disease unvaccinated child. Child who appears to have and recovered apparently without complications. About one in 600 infants who had measles developed PESS (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis) 6 to 10 years after they recovered from the acute illness. And unfortunately they all died, even if they were hospitalized in hospitals in the US or Germany,”
explains Dr. Craiu.

Doctor Mihai Craiu: “You would pay too high a price”

Those who contracted the disease at older ages had a lower risk of developing PESS, but an average of one case of PESS per 3000 patients was described in the scenario of children under 5 years of age, the doctor claims.

“In other words, we already know that some deaths will be added to those already recorded, as more than 5,000 cases have been reported in recent months,” warns Dr. Mihai Craiu.

The renowned pediatrician claims that the only reasonable solution is vaccination.

“Dear parents, the only reasonable solution is vaccination, and the biggest mistake is to deliberately allow your child to be infected with the measles virus – the so-called . Don't play Russian roulette with your own child. Ask your family doctor or other pediatrician and don't fall for fake news. The price paid would be too high.” concluded Dr. Mihai Craiu.