Muskan

· 11 Feb 2022

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When did measles vaccination come out?

You must have heard about measles. It has been present there for centuries as a contagious infection caused by the measles virus. The other name of measles is rubella. It can spread from one person to another person through saliva or mucus. This disease is common among kids. This is why it is always suggested to give them rubella vaccines soon after birth. Nowadays we are having a vaccine for measles but do you have any idea, what was the situation before development of the vaccine? Let us read ahead to understand how and when did measles vaccination come out?

When did measles vaccination come out?
Measles was first noticed in 1657 in the United States. Boston was the place that was first hit by measles. Reports show that the first measles vaccine was developed in 1963. It was developed after immense research work.

The journey of measles vaccine invention
In 1757, Scottish physician Francis Home proved that measles can spread into another person’s body through mucus. It is caused by an infectious virus in the bloodstream. Soon after this, it took a long time to eliminate the disease with the introduction of the vaccine. Every effort was made to bring the vaccine, but it was a failure.
It was necessary to eliminate smallpox from the world. In the meantime, measles took a serious turn. It was growing severe day by day. People started losing their lives each day. It led to an urgent demand for vaccines. In 1912, the health workers were advised to record the number of measles cases. It was found that a total of 6000 cases were reported in a year. Measles became so deadly that in the 1950s, a large number of children were affected with measles before their 15th birthday.
In 1954, Thomas Peebles was the first person to isolate the measles virus from the blood samples of a person in Boston. During the 1960s, vaccines came into existence, but they were not perfect because they caused certain side effects in the body.
In 1968, Maurice Hilleman invented the attenuated vaccine. It weakened the virus of measles. It is the only vaccine, used to this date. It is combined with rubella and mumps. Together it is known as MMR, which we give to newborns after birth.

The success of the measles vaccine
In the 1980s, the rate of measles infection dropped to a considerable extent. Still, a vaccination program is done for the kids, and it is followed to this date. It is essential to provide a measles vaccine to newborns. You never know when the virus will come back.
If the vaccination program stops, the rise in measles is observed. Therefore, it is suggested to keep these programs going on as it will keep the communities out of the risk to some extent. In some countries, measles has been eliminated with a successful vaccination program.


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