1953 — Measles, 23 states double digits, esp. TX/56 MO/27 CA/25 AR/24 PA/21 AK/20 MS/20–483

–483 48 States, DC, Territories of Alaska and Hawaii
–462 States. US PHS Vital Statistics of the US 1953: Vol. II – Mortality Statistics, p. 370.
— 20 AK. US PHS Vital Statistics of the US 1953: Vol. I. …Tables for Alaska, Hawaii…, p. 30.
— 1 HI. US PHS Vital Statistics of the US 1953: Vol. I. …Tables for Alaska, Hawaii…, p. 34.

Alabama 5 Montana 4
Alaska 20 Nebraska 4
Arizona 10 Nevada 2
Arkansas 24 New Hampshire 0
California 25 New Jersey 0
Colorado 13 New Mexico 13
Connecticut 0 New York 9
Delaware 0 North Carolina 19
District of Columbia 1 North Dakota 0
Florida 6 Ohio 17
Georgia 7 Oklahoma 16
Hawaii 1 Oregon 3
Idaho 1 Pennsylvania 21
Illinois 17 Rhode Island 0
Indiana 12 South Carolina 5
Iowa 10 South Dakota 4
Kansas 10 Tennessee 15
Kentucky 10 Texas 56
Louisiana 7 Utah 1
Maine 1 Vermont 2
Maryland 2 Virginia 3
Massachusetts 2 Washington 13
Michigan 16 West Virginia 5
Minnesota 10 Wisconsin 12
Mississippi 20 Wyoming 2
Missouri 27

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.

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, Maxine. Measles. NY: Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2005, pp. 7-8.)

Sources

Associated Press, Philadelphia. “Measles outbreak leaves five dead.” New Castle News, PA. 2-16-1991, p. 2. Accessed 5-6-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/new-castle/new-castle-news/1991/02-16/page-2?tag

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Table 3. (A) Deaths From Specified Notifiable Diseases: United States, 1954-1963.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 13, No. 54, 9-30-1965, p. 5. Accessed 9-14-2016 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=VPvPAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true

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

Public Health Service. U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare. Vital Statistics of the US 1953: Vol. I. Introduction and Summary Tables for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. Marriage, Divorce, Natality, Fetal Mortality and Infant Mortality Data. U.S. GPO, 1955. Accessed 5-30-2023 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/vsus_1953_1.pdf

Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Vital Statistics of the United States 1953, Volume II, Mortality Data. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1955. Accessed 5-29-2023 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1953_2.pdf
Rosaler, Maxine. Epidemics: Deadly Diseases Throughout History – Measles. NY Rosen Publishing Group, 2005. Accessed 5-30-2023 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1953_2.pdf