In the pre-vaccine era, everyone got measles.
What was that like?
Remembering When Everyone Had Measles
Well, for one thing, before we had a measles vaccine, having measles was considered a rite of passage for kids, but only because they had no choice except to eventually get it!
And when measles came to town, as it inevitably did, most folks got it, leading to missing weeks of school, play, and work, etc.
But it wasn’t all fun and games.
At best, measles left you feeling miserable.
Tragically for some, they didn’t survive having measles.
“Before a vaccine became available in 1963, measles was a rite of passage among American children. A red rash would spread over their bodies. They would develop a high fever. Severe cases could cause blindness or brain damage, or even death.”
CDC says measles almost eliminated in U.S.
It should be clear that when measles was everywhere and everyone had measles, it could affect every aspect of your life.
When everyone got measles, everyone had problems with measles.
That’s why most of us are very glad to vaccinate and protect our kids. We don’t want them to get measles or any other vaccine-preventable diseases.
More on Remembering When Everyone Had Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – Remembering Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – Grave Reminders of Life Before Vaccines
- VAXOPEDIA – Personal Stories About Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
- VAXOPEDIA – Parents Who Regret Not Vaccinating Their Kids
- VAXOPEDIA – Everything You Need to Know About the Measles Vaccine
- VAXOPEDIA – What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – What to Do If Your Child Is Exposed to Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – When Measles Epidemics Would Close Schools
- VAXOPEDIA – Fun and Games with Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – The Myth That Measles Isn’t Deadly
- VAXOPEDIA – A History of Measles Outbreaks in the United States
- CDC says measles almost eliminated in U.S. The Herald-Palladium. Saint Joseph, Michigan. Friday, September 3, 1999
- Measles Stories
- A Typical Case of Measles
- I Was on the Front Line of L.A.’s Last Measles Outbreak
- Pediatrician Remembers Measles & Diphtheria in Charleston
- Pediatrician Remembers Measles Patients at Louisville General in the 1960s
- Pediatrician Remembers a Measles Outbreak Among the Amish
- Measles outbreak frustrates pediatrician who recalls disease well
- Outbreak! On the front lines of a measles epidemic
- Remembering The Pre-Vaccine Era: The Diseases of Childhood
- Beyond Rash And Fever: How Measles Can Kill
- Family’s Exposure to Measles Reveals Importance of Herd Immunity
- Patient stories about measles in Europe
- “Houston, We’ve Had a Problem”
- A Case of Measles