Cases of measles have doubled in Occitanie and Haute-Garonne is the most affected department. Since the beginning of January, the ARS (Regional Health Agency) has recorded 27 confirmed cases, compared to only 13 last year. Almost half was identified in Haute-Garonne. For his part, SOS Doctors is concerned about the consequences in children as in adults and encourages vaccination.
Already in 2019, this virus had largely struck the region. The measles is well back in Haute-Garonne. This is confirmed by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) Occitanie. The number of cases has doubled this year compared to 2024. Out of the 27 cases recorded in the region since the start of the year, half has been identified in Haute-Garonne. Non -vaccinated children aged 1 to 4 are the most affected, in front of babies under a year.
An infection that spreads at high speed
Red plates on the body, fever that climbs suddenly, dry, hoarse, persistent cough. The measles is particularly contagious. This viral infection can spread at dazzling speed: in the absence of vaccination, only one sick person can contaminate up to 20 others. A simple cough, a conversation aloud or a sneezing in an enclosed place are enough to disseminate the virus in the air. And the latter can survive there for several hours.
In children, measles can be serious. A high fever, often greater than 39 ° C, precedes the appearance of small whitish spots inside the mouth (the famous Koplik spots), quickly followed by an eruption that begins on the face before stretching throughout the body. The fatigue is intense, the eyes are red, the eyelids swollen. And behind these impressive symptoms can hide much more serious complications: pneumonia, encephalitis, even death.
-Adults are not spared. In particular 30-39 year olds, a generation that has not always benefited from complete vaccine coverage, since the vaccine is only compulsory for children born since 2018. At home too, measles manifests with the same symptoms: high fever, muscle pain, generalized rash. Complications can be even more frequent in these patients: hospitalizations, neurological or respiratory disorders.
Fight against measles by vaccination
Faced with the resurgence of measles cases, the question of vaccination coverage comes back to the fore. For Doctor Chaugne, president of SOS Doctors in Haute-Garonne, the issue exceeds individual protection alone. “Vaccination is an altruistic act, it is the only way to protect others,” he recalls. In a context where the virus circulates again, sometimes silently, the doctor insists on the importance of making a point on his own vaccination status, often overlooked in adults.
Because to be really protected against measles, two doses of the vaccine are necessary. “The first must be made from the 18 months of life,” says Dr. Chaugne. A second injection, often administered between 5 and 6 years old, completes the vaccination scheme. But many adults, especially those born before the 1990s, received only one dose, or even none. Hence the importance of consulting your health book.
Meïsa Hadjeb
