8 Horrible Infectious Diseases Humanity Has Triumphed Over

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease that reappeared in recent years because people haven’t continued to vaccinate against it. The most common symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and a red, flat rash that starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body. 

That being said, this infectious disease spreads easily from person to person, especially through the coughing and sneezing from infected people. Even though it is considered a childhood illness, measles can affect people of all ages. Unfortunately, it seems that once you get infected, you can’t treat it with medication because there’s no treatment, but you can prevent it with a vaccine. 

Back in 1963, almost every kid in the United States developed measles before the age of 15. Unfortunately, there was an epidemic a few years later and more than 2.6 million people died every year from this disease. 

In addition, in 1954, Dr. Thomas C. Peebles of Harvard University developed a vaccine against measles. He named it the “Edmonston-Enders vaccine” after an 11 year old sick boy – David Edmonston – who volunteered to help Peebles with investigations and experiments. In recent years, measles cases have dropped significantly due to vaccination, and millions of people have been saved.