Risk of complications from natural measles infection compared to known risks of vaccination with a live attenuated virus in immunocompetent individuals*
| Complication | Risk after natural disease† | Risk after vaccination‡ |
|---|---|---|
| †Risks after natural measles are calculated in terms of events per number of cases. | ||
| ‡Risks after vaccination are calculated in terms of events per number of doses. | ||
| SSPE = subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. | ||
| *Source: Duclos P, Ward BJ. Measles vaccines: a review of adverse events. Drug Safety 1998;6:435–54. | ||
| Otitis media | 7–9% | 0 |
| Pneumonia | 1–6% | 0 |
| Diarrhoea | 6% | 0 |
| Postinfectious ecephalomyelitis | 0.5–1 per 1000 | 1 per 1 000 000 |
| SSPE | 1 per 100 000 | 0 |
| Anaphylaxis | 0 | 1 per 100 000–1 000 000 |
| Death | 0.1–1 per 1000 in industrialised countries up to 5–15% in developing countries | 0 |