So what does this all mean? The first thing this research shows is that measles is actually more dangerous than we previously thought. And that’s because it can erase immune memory and that means that people who have had the measles and recovered are more vulnerable to other infections. So they’re more likely to get sick from something else. Now getting the vaccine for measles didn’t have the same effect. It actually helped the antibodies. And in fact the World Health Organization has estimated that vaccines have prevented about 21 million deaths over the last 20 years.