Measles kills: A short history

He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.
—George Bernard Shaw

In 1962, about 500,000 American kids got measles, with fever and spots made by the immune system reacting with the virus. Many of us remember it as relatively benign and I have heard people say, ‘I had it, and it wasn’t so bad’. But we are not all the same; we are not inbred white mice. Some people respond differently; immune systems are complex and vary from one person to the next. About 20% of affected children had complications, usually encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. Or they had diarrhea and dehydration. Many were hospitalized and about four hundred died. Year after year. That is hard to imagine now, because in 1963, a vaccine was produced by the legendary Dr. Sidney Hillman and his team at Merck. The Merck team made many vaccines and saved millions of lives.

After 1963, measles was one less thing for parents to worry about, along with polio, mumps, rubella, and then chickenpox. Whooping cough, diphtheria, and tetanus had been dealt with through earlier vaccines. Measles virus did not disappear, it was not eradicated like smallpox; It still stalks unvaccinated communities.

The measles virus is very contagious, more than SARS-CoV-2. Measles has another insidious property—it wrecks existing immune responses and not just a person’s response to measles. Imagine a child in Africa, whose immune system is just managing to keep the malaria parasite at bay. A case of measles will depress the immune system, unleash the malaria parasite, and may kill the child. Measles virus is one of the great killers in Africa with 47,000 deaths in 2022. Most viruses have ways to suppress immune systems, but measles is a champion of immune suppression and contagion.

The vaccine is exceptionally effective. And measles returns when vaccination stops. In an under-vaccinated community, a single tourist shedding measles virus can start an epidemic. That is what happened in September 2019, in American Samoa, in the months before the Covid pandemic.

The ground had been prepared by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had visited Samoa, met with government officials, and told them and other people that the vaccine caused autism. In 2017, 74% of babies were vaccinated, which was already low, but by January 6, 2020, only 31 to 34% of newborns were being vaccinated. Before the outbreak there were almost no cases of measles . A single infected tourist introduced the virus and by the 6th of January 2020 there were 5,700 cases and 83 deaths. The population is about 200,000 and about 100,000 doses of vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) were administered. Schools were closed, and sports teams were idle (Samoans play rugby). People stayed home and hung out a red flag to summon the vaccination teams. Other islands in the region had 99% vaccination rates and no measles or noticeable increases in autism. Wikipedia has a lengthy article on the American Samoa measles outbreak, well as others in the South Pacific.

An emergency response by Samoan health workers converted to vaccinators with help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the public health agencies of New Zealand, Australia, Israel, and Franch Polynesia and may other countries, and health agencies stamped out the measles epidemic by January 22, 2020.

I do not know if there were any cases of autism among the thousands of children who were vaccinated, as Mr. Kennedy’s theory predicts there would be. Did Mr. Kennedy even ask if autism had increased after thousands of kids got measles vaccine? There should have been a wave, according to his theory, but if you don’t ask, the theory remains intact.

Raw data say no increase in autism occurred. The American Samoa Public Health website, does not mention autism as a problem. I called the American Samoan Health Authorities. They were very cooperative and have not noticed anything of concern, but being competent officials said that they will do a deeper investigation. Numbers count. We will let you know the results.

The message from these events is simple: Be skeptical of people who never admit that they are wrong. Do not trust people whose message is meant to instill fear. Don’t believe people who think they know, but don’t. Do not put Robert F. Kennedy in charge of any American health agency, let alone all of them. Genial skepticism is a virtue that keeps people healthy, even alive.

Richard Kessin, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

All are welcome at The Mahaiwe

Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.

Geandy Pavon

Natalia Bernal is the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s education and community engagement manager and is, in her own words, “the one who makes sure that Mahaiwe events are accessible to all.”

The Mahaiwe’s community engagement program is rooted in the belief that the performing arts should be for everyone. “We are committed to establishing and growing partnerships with neighboring community and arts organizations to develop pathways for overcoming social and practical barriers,” Bernal explained. “Immigrants, people of color, communities with low income, those who have traditionally been underserved in the performing arts, should feel welcomed at the Mahaiwe.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Living with the things you love:
a conversation with Mary Randolph Carter
Mary Randolph Carter teaches us to surround ourselves with what matters to live happily ever after.
Carter Berg

There is magic in a home filled with the things we love, and Mary Randolph Carter, affectionately known as “Carter,” has spent a lifetime embracing that magic. Her latest book, “Live with the Things You Love … and You’ll Live Happily Ever After,” is about storytelling, joy, and honoring life’s poetry through the objects we keep.

“This is my tenth book,” Carter said. “At the root of each is my love of collecting, the thrill of the hunt, and living surrounded by things that conjure up family, friends, and memories.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Beloved classic film ‘The Red Shoes’ comes to the big screen for Triplex benefit
Provided

On Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m., The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and Jacob’s Pillow, the dance festival in Becket, Massachusetts, are presenting a special benefit screening of the cinematic masterpiece, “The Red Shoes,” followed by a discussion and Q&A. Featuring guest speakers Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob’s Pillow, and dance historian Lynn Garafola, the event is a fundraiser for The Triplex.

“We’re pitching in, as it were, because we like to help our neighbors,” said Norton. “They (The Triplex) approached us with the idea, wanting some input if they were going to do a dance film. I thought of Lynn as the perfect person also to include in this because of her knowledge of The Ballets Russes and the book that she wrote about Diaghilev. There is so much in this film, even though it’s fictional, that derives from the Ballets Russes.” Garafola, the leading expert on the Ballets Russes under Serge Diaghilev, 1909–1929, the most influential company in twentieth-century theatrical dance, said, “We see glimpses of that Russian émigré tradition, performances we don’t see much of today. The film captures the artifice of ballet, from the behind-the-scenes world of dressers and conductors to the sheer passion of the audience.”

Keep ReadingShow less