PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS MARK 50TH YEAR OF MEASLES VACCINE.

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Until the 1960s, measles was a rite of passage for US children; nearly all had the disease before they reached adolescence. But each year, 400 to 500 died from rare complications of the illness, 48 000 were hospitalized, 7000 had seizures, and about 1000 developed brain damage or lost their hearing, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within 4 years of the vaccine’s licensure in 1963, the number of annual US measles cases dropped from 4 million to 2000, according to Alan Hinman, MD, MPH, director for programs at the Task Force for Global Health’s Center for Vaccine Equity. Full text details are available at: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1817786