1949 — Measles (code 085); PHS, Vital Statistics…[US] 1949, Part II…Mortality Data —   949

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 18, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

 –949  Public Health Service. Vital Statistics…[US] 1949, Part II…Mortality Data…, p. 458.

Narrative Information

CDC on Measles:Measles: “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.)

Measles: “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. Measles. 2005, pp. 7-8.)

CDC on Measles and Rubella:Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It can result in serious health complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and even cause death.

What do Measles and Rubella have in common? While rubella is sometimes referred to as “German measles,” the rubella and measles viruses are unrelated and are from different virus families. However, they do have some similarities. Both viruses:

are spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing,

can result in fever and skin rash after infection, and

survive only in human hosts.

“Measles and rubella can be prevented with vaccines that can be delivered together as a combined measles-rubella (MR) vaccine, or combined with vaccines against mumps (MMR) and varicella (chickenpox) (MMRV).” (CDC. Facts about Measles & Rubella. 8-31-2017 review.)

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts about Measles & Rubella. 8-31-2017 review. Accessed 5-5-2019 at: https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/measles/facts.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmission of Measles. 11-5-2020 last review. Accessed 10-11-2021 at: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/transmission.html

Public Health Service, Federal Security Agency. Vital Statistics of the United States 1949. Part II, Natality and Mortality Data for the United States Tabulated by Place of Residence. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1951. Accessed 9-18-2023 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1949_2.pdf

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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