Rochester, Minnesota - With all the recent attention on measles, one risk that is seldom mentioned is long-term hearing loss. Several studies have shown a link between measles and hearing loss later in life.  Kenneth Brookler, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurotologist and researcher, has been studying this connection for many years and says this type of hearing loss, otosclerosis, is highly preventable.

“The downstream effect of measles can be having insidious hearing loss in the 20s and 30s, having surgeries and then digressing to a point to where hearing aids may not work to the level they need a cochlear implant … all this could be prevented with timely vaccinations in childhood.”