1964-1965 rubella epidemic swept the United States, by the numbers

[Omaha Steve]

I was looking for something else for a post when I found this. There was no shot for rubella until 1969. Marta and I both had it during the epidemic. It reduced Marta's vision until she had a new surgery for it about 15 years ago.

OS

http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/rubella

Complications

From 1964-1965, before the development of a vaccine against the disease, a rubella epidemic swept the United States. During that short period there were 12.5 million cases of rubella. Twenty thousand children were born with CRS: 11,000 were deaf, 3,500 blind, and 1,800 mentally retarded. There were 2,100 neonatal deaths and more than 11,000 abortions – some a spontaneous result of rubella infection in the mother, and others performed surgically after women were informed of the serious risks of rubella exposure during their pregnancy.

As of 2004, rubella was declared eliminated in the United States, and transmission of the rubella virus in the World Health Organization’s Region of the Americas was halted in 2009. Globally, about 100,000 rubella cases were reported for 2012 in the member states to the World Health Organization, though it is probable that the number of actual cases is much higher. The countries with the largest number of cases in 2012 were Timor-Leste, Macedonia, Thailand, Tajikistan, and Syria. The number of estimated CRS cases each year is more than 100,000.

Available Vaccines and Vaccination Campaigns

The first rubella vaccine—a live, attenuated vaccine—was licensed in 1969. It was developed by the prolific vaccine researcher Maurice Hilleman, using rubella virus obtained from Division of Biologics Standards scientists Paul Parkman and Harry Meyer. Other companies in both the United States and Europe licensed their own rubella vaccines. Hilleman’s rubella vaccine was used in the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which was licensed in 1971.

[uppityperson]

1. German Measles, not Hard or Red measles like we have now. This was considered the light

fast easy measles.

Thanks for posting this OS. Even this easy measles, the one we had measles parties for, was not always so simple, fast, easy.

[Omaha Steve]

5. OOPS

Marta and I both had the hard measles before that vaccine. Since rubella isn't related, we may have had both at different times. We know we both had mumps and chicken pox too.

Thanks for the correction.

[Hekate]

2. KnR

[TexasProgresive]

3. I got it while at a boarding school.

I was the 1st and was immediately isolated from everyone else. It was so boring. The room light was dim to protect the eyes and there was no one else to talk to. But before I recovered I had plenty of company. Soon there were loads of other boys with red spots.

[Warpy]

4. That sounds like regular measles

Rubella was weird. I felt sick the night before and had swollen lymph nodes on the back of my head the size of walnut meats, a sore throat, and aches. The next morning I felt much better and went to school. By 11 AM, I was breaking out with red spots and sent home immediately.

It was too late, of course, the disease has about run its course by the time the rash appears. The rash itself was gone in a couple of days.

Funny, the main thing I remember was sitting in class in the back of the room, another kid breaking out in red spots at about the same clip as I was, the two of us laughing at each other.

Rubella isn't terribly dangerous to most people who contract it. The real danger is to the developing fetus in pregnant women. The birth defects it causes can be horrific.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Thanks for the info,

remember that year. Whole communities in Southwestern Minnesota were for the most part off limits. That was what people called a open winter or black winter meaning mild with no snow and not cold enough to kill the airborne virus spores. We had a similar out break in North Western Wisconsin in 1947 thru 1948 again a open winter.

[HockeyMom]

7. I was in HS 1964-1965

We all had had German Measles by then. I had almost everything under the age of 2. My parents were very happy about that. No missing school. Booooo.

Imagine having had measles, mumps, ruebella, and chicken pox all before the age of 2? Never hospitalized either. Same for my husband and SIL too. Superhumans. lol

[Freddie]

8. 3rd grade, 1965

Rubella swept through school and the nurse was sending what seemed like dozens of kids home a day, I was one of them. Was the only time in my whole school career my mom got the dreaded call from the nurse. I remember being very sick, hallucinating from the high fever.

[HockeyMom]

9. Only disease I remember was Scarlet Fever

I was a few weeks from my 6th birthday. Mom said I was hallucinating and recanting what I was seeing in my dream. Years later on November 22, 1963, on my 15th birthday, my parents did not think I was hallucinating anymore back then. Me either. Yes, I remembered my hallucination. Subject for religion maybe.

[Sienna86]

10. Okay Hockey Mom. Fill me in.

Sounds like you had some interesting delusions under your high fever.

[deafskeptic]

11. I was born deaf in 1966 as a result of Rubella.

These anti vaccine folks well, the less I say about them the better.

[Omaha Steve]

15. YOU can say anything you want about them

[ladyVet]

12. That sounds right. I would have been in the second grade.

I got sent home with a note telling my mother I had German measles and couldn't come back to school for a certain period of time. I started getting the spots in class, but I don't remember feeling sick, or feverish, or having any hallucinations.

At one place where I worked, we had a guy come in with a rash. His boss sent him to the doctor, and he was told it was German measles. I told the plant manager he should tell everyone, because we had some pregnant employees, but he said no and not to say anything about it.

I knew that was wrong, so I went around and told every woman in the plant, especially the pregnant ones about the dangers of the disease to a fetus. I could have gotten fired, but it would have been worth it. My conscious would have been clear.

[Sancho]

13. I remember this well...

I was the oldest, and rubella was going around the school. My dad was an MD and about that time my mother got pregnant with my siblings. My brother and I were in elementary school in the early 60's, and we stayed with my grandmother a while to keep Mom from exposure to rubella while she was expecting!

My father was very aware of the problems of rubella. There were plenty of family discussions where the older crowd argued that "everyone gets measles". My younger brother and sister got the 1969 vaccine.

There were a few people who didn't want to get the live virus back then too, but the schools and public health people insisted that everyone get vaccinated.

One funny story was that the med school was trying out a new "birth control pill" in the mid-50's. My parents were in a trial and they didn't exactly know the fomula - so here I am!! Mom said I was "wanted", but Dad used to say he'd never have started a family while still in school on purpose.

[meow2u3]

14. Fortunately, I never came down with rubella

I definitely was one of the lucky ones, in that I was only 4, too young for school, when the epidemic broke out.

I ended up getting the MMR vaccine when I was 10, just before my younger sister came down with the mumps before she was to get her shots.