As measles cases rise globally, new studies indicate that malnutrition could be worsening outbreaks in regions facing food shortages.
Research conducted on more than 600 fully vaccinated children in South Africa revealed that undernourished children had significantly lower levels of measles antibodies.
Scientists from McGill University, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, and the University of Pretoria tracked the children’s growth over time as a sign of malnutrition, measuring their antibody levels through blood tests. Children who were stunted around three years old had an average of 24% lower measles antibody levels by the time they were five, compared to their peers of normal height.
The results, published in Vaccine, suggest that malnutrition may influence how long vaccine protection lasts.
This highlights the importance of tackling child hunger in the prevention of viral outbreaks, according to senior author Jonathan Chevrier, an Associate Professor in McGill’s Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, as well as Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Health and Epidemiology.
A growing threat worldwide
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that leads to symptoms like rash, fever, and cough, and can result in serious complications, particularly among young children. The disease is resurfacing in areas where it was previously under control, including Canada, which recorded its highest number of cases in nearly a decade in 2024.
“Global measles incidents fell from 2000 to 2016, but this trend shifted in 2018, largely due to under-vaccination and the repercussions of the pandemic. Measles is making a significant return in many regions despite being preventable through vaccination and sufficient immunity,” stated co-author Brian Ward, a Professor in McGill’s Department of Medicine.
“It is essential to immunize children against preventable infectious diseases and to ensure their protection,” emphasized first author Brenda Eskenazi, Professor Emerita of Public Health at UC Berkeley. “This necessity is even more critical now, as many known illnesses are predicted to spread due to climate change.”
About 22% of children under the age of five globally—about 148 million—were stunted in 2022, with the highest prevalence found in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Chevrier mentioned.
The research team intends to follow the children in the study as they age to determine if early-life undernutrition’s impacts persist.
This research received funding from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
