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Measles can sometimes lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia.
About one child in 2,000 who contracts measles will develop inflammation of the brain. For every ten children who become affected in this way, one will die and four will have permanent brain damage. Measles can be caught through coughs and sneezes from an infected person. Measles still causes deaths in Australian children. A rare condition called SSPE can develop in children several years after a measles infection.