1943 — Measles, especially children                                 –1,301

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard January 4, 2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 1,301  US PHS. Vital Statistics… Special Reports…Mortality Statistics [U.S.], 1945, p. 13.[1]

Narrative Information

CDC: “Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Also, measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed. If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses, or mouths, they can become infected. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles is a disease of humans; measles virus is not spread by any other animal species.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmission of Measles. 2-5-2018 last review.)

Rosaler: “The measles virus can live in the air for two hours after an infected persons leaves the room. People can also get measles if they have direct contact with fluid from the nose or mouth of an infected person. Once introduced into a person’s respiratory system, the measles virus proceeds to attach itself to the lining of the airways. Drawing energy from this new host, the virus begins to multiply and spread throughout the body.” (Rosaler, Maxine. Epidemics: Deadly Diseases… “Measles.” NY: Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2005, pp. 7-8.)

Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmission of Measles. 2-5-2018 last review. Accessed 4-12-2019 at: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/transmission.html

Rosaler, Maxine. Epidemics: Deadly Diseases Throughout History – Measles. NY Rosen Publishing Group, 2005. Preview Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4hQwgOcKEBUC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

United States Public Health Service. Vital Statistics – Special Reports National Summaries, Volume 27, Numbers 1 to 54, 1945. Washington, DC: US PHS, National Office of Vital Statistics, Federal Security Agency, 1949. Google digitized. Accessed 1-31-2015 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=XxwvAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

[1] Specifically from Vol. 27, No. 2. “Deaths and Death Rates for Each Cause, United States, 1943-45.” 5-16-1947