Mother of child infected with measles describes lasting effects – CTV
February 08, 2026
A Canadian mother whose infant contracted measles is warning about the virus’s long-term health risks, as international health officials urge Canada to strengthen its response amid rising cases across the Americas.
Kimie, now 15 months old, contracted measles as an infant while she was too young to be vaccinated. Although she appears healthy today, her mother, Morgan Birch, says the illness has had lasting consequences.
“She’s had two cases of croup, and she’s had three or four ear infections,” Birch said, adding doctors have told her the infection compromised her daughter’s immune system.
Medical experts say measles can cause serious long-term damage well beyond the initial illness. In a report from the Georgia Institute of Technology the author cited “a study published in 2019 found that having a measles infection destroyed between 11 per cent and 75 per cent of their antibodies, leaving them vulnerable to many of the infections to which they previously had immunity.”
