Measles The Miracle We Almost Forgot

Host Julia Cartwright reveals the extraordinary triumph of measles elimination in America, taking listeners back to an era when this disease killed over 400 children annually. She chronicles the development of the measles vaccine by Maurice Hilleman, describing the scientific breakthrough that tamed one of humanity's most persistent killers. Through dramatic storytelling, Cartwright illustrates pre-vaccine America where nearly every child got measles, with devastating complications including brain inflammation, pneumonia, and death. She explains how vaccination campaigns achieved the remarkable 95% immunity threshold needed for herd protection, leading to measles' official elimination from the Americas in 2000. The episode explores how this complete success paradoxically created vulnerability—as memories of measles faded, so did appreciation for the vaccine that conquered it. Cartwright shows how the miracle of elimination contained the seeds of its own fragility, setting up the conditions for the disease's eventual return.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI