Measles virus has long occupied a top spot on a list of most dangerous pathogens, for in addition to spreading easily, it can temporarily cancel immunity against other infectious diseases. A powerful vaccine has vanquished measles since 1963, offering close-to-lifetime immunity. But the disease is returning, thanks to vaccine hesitancy and apparent lack of knowledge of basic biology.
I was too young to remember having measles. But my mother told me I was very sick for a month, and was a day away from being hospitalized for encephalitis when I finally began to improve.
Circa 1960, everyone got measles. In a room full of vulnerable individuals, some 90 percent will quickly become infected, as the virus wafts in droplets dispersed in the air, hanging around for up to two hours. Having the telltale spots, however, conferred lifelong immunity.
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