From David Muir, Edinburgh, UK
Debora MacKenzie reports that measles massively damages the immune system (9 November, p 15). In 1960, before vaccination was available, I had two weeks off school with measles. On the first day back, I came home covered in chickenpox. For decades I have suspected that there was some relationship.
Thanks to New Scientist, I now know that this was probably the case. Given the information in the article, I count myself lucky to have got off so lightly.
