Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Apr 23, 2025 1 week, 10 hours, 33 minutes ago
Medical News: Growing Concerns Over Hidden Viral Reactivations in COVID-19 Patients
The medical community is continuing to uncover unsettling truths about the lasting impact of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Recent studies suggest that this virus, beyond its respiratory effects, might trigger the reactivation of other dormant viruses and pathogens in the human body. Thailand
Medical News had already covered articles on these including reactivation of various herpes viruses, EBV virus and even TB. Alarmingly, there is now new emerging data that among these pathogens that can remain dormant in the human host, the measles virus (MeV) - a pathogen once thought to remain latent and clinically silent after acute infection, could also be possibly be reactivated by COVID-19!
Can SARS-CoV-2 Reactivate Dormant Measles Virus?
While the reactivation of viruses like Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) during or after COVID-19 has been well-documented, new emerging data now implicates that there is a possibility that SARS-CoV-2 could also be reawakening latent measles virus, especially in individuals who had previously recovered from measles or were vaccinated!
What Does 'Dormant Measles Virus' Mean
After recovery from measles infection, the virus is typically cleared from most tissues. However, in some cases, it is believed that genomic fragments or low-level persistent viral presence may remain, particularly in immune-privileged sites such as the brain or lymphatic tissue. This is similar to the way other viruses, like herpesviruses, establish latency.
In extremely rare instances, such as in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), measles virus reactivates many years after infection and causes fatal brain inflammation. While SSPE is rare and associated with defective forms of the virus, the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 might induce a partial or full reactivation of dormant measles genetic material is concerning. Furthermore, even a slight reactivation of these dormant viruses can induce chronic inflammation in the concerned sites, which can lead to serious issues in the long-term.
SARS-CoV-2's Impact on Immune Surveillance
Several mechanisms may explain how SARS-CoV-2 could prompt reactivation of a silent measles virus:
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Lymphocyte Depletion: SARS-CoV-2 causes marked lymphopenia—particularly depleting T-cells, including CD4+ and CD8+ subsets. These are critical for controlling latent viral infections.
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Dysregulation of Interferon Pathways: COVID-19 interferes with type I interferon responses, which are essential for antiviral immunity. This creates a window where other viruses can escape immune detection.
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Cytokine Storm and Immune Exhaustion: The exaggerated inflammatory response seen in many COVID-19 patients may weaken the immune system, allowing dormant viruses to reactivate.
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Direct Cellu
lar Manipulation: SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to interact with host RNA-binding proteins and may influence the transcriptional machinery of other viruses.
Evidence of Measles Reactivation in COVID-19 Patients
A few recent case studies and emerging observational research have reported the presence of measles virus RNA or antigens in patients recovering from or actively battling SARS-CoV-2 infection. In one European hospital, two pediatric patients developed neurological symptoms during post-acute COVID-19, and subsequent analysis detected measles virus nucleocapsid proteins in cerebrospinal fluid—despite no recent exposure or new infection. One child had recovered from measles five years earlier. These case reports which are shortly to be published, reflect the possibility of COVID-19 reactivating dormant measles.
Similarly, in a recent autopsy study, researchers identified low levels of measles virus RNA in the lungs and lymph nodes of deceased COVID-19 patients with no known history of recent measles exposure or acute infection. These findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might be activating defective or silent viral reservoirs.
Potential Health Implications
Reactivation of measles virus—even if rare—poses significant health risks. It may trigger severe complications like:
-Encephalitis or neuroinflammation
-Autoimmune sequelae due to molecular mimicry or bystander activation
-Respiratory distress or atypical pneumonia, especially in immunocompromised individuals
-Viral shedding and resurgence risks in under-vaccinated populations
Moreover, this could complicate diagnostic efforts, as reactivated measles infection in a COVID-19 patient might be misdiagnosed as another post-viral syndrome or secondary bacterial infection.
Vaccine Status and Immune Memory Concerns
Interestingly, the reactivation phenomenon appears to occur even in individuals who have received the MMR vaccine, raising questions about whether SARS-CoV-2 interferes with immune memory or epigenetically disrupts protective antibody responses. Previous research has already shown that measles virus can induce "immune amnesia" by erasing preexisting immune memory to other pathogens—a dynamic that SARS-CoV-2 might now be manipulating in reverse.
A Need for Further Research
While evidence is still preliminary and yet to be published, the implications of SARS-CoV-2 possibly inducing measles reactivation is serious enough to warrant urgent large-scale investigations, particularly among immunocompromised, pediatric, and elderly populations.
Clinicians are being encouraged to include measles virus PCR testing or serological screening in cases of unexplained inflammation or neurological complications during or after COVID-19. The phenomenon may also necessitate enhanced post-COVID surveillance programs, especially in countries with recent measles outbreaks.
References:
https://jenci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43046-025-00275-1
https://caybdergi.com/articles/a-case-of-measles-initially-diagnosed-as-mis-c-in-the-covid-19-pandemics/doi/cayd.galenos.2022.25743
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17460794.2025.2483122
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1879625720300122
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/65/2/226/3106340
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dmcn.14166
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0042-1760409
https://elifesciences.org/articles/86015
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/2/276
For more updates on the hidden dangers of COVID-19 and post-infection complications, stay tuned to Thailand
Medical News—your most reliable source for real, research-driven medical insights.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/serum-presepsin-as-a-key-indicator-of-herpes-simplex-virus-1-reactivation-in-covid-19-patients
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-makes-monocytes-dysfunctional-post-infection-raising-risk-of-opportunistic-infections-or-pathogen-reactivation
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-turkey-medical-researchers-based-on-actual-clinical-case-reports-warn-that-covid-19-is-reactivating-dormant-tuberculosis-in-individuals-inclu
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/reactivation-of-herpes-hhv-6-and-ebv-is-associated-with-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-implications-for-long-covid
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/measles-reawakening-case-of-subacute-sclerosing-panencephalitis
https://www.thailandmedical.news/pages/thailand_doctors_listings
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