1963Measles

History of measles: Outbreaks and vaccine timeline

Learn about the development, approval and impact of the measles vaccine.

Measles virus

The measles virus that causes measles

1954

Drs. John F. Enders and Thomas C. Peebles isolate the measles virus, called the Edmonston strain, in tissue. It’s used to develop many other vaccines.

1963

Dr. Enders and his colleagues develop the live attenuated Edmonston B measles vaccine. This vaccine and a second measles vaccine are licensed in 1963. Two other live attenuated measles vaccines will be licensed in 1965 and 1968. More than 500,000 cases of measles occurred each year in the U.S. in the 20th century compared with 47 cases in 2023.

1971

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are combined into the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in the U.S.

2000

Measles is considered eliminated in the U.S.

History of infectious disease outbreaks and vaccines timeline.

Learn about the history of major disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics, as well as the impact vaccines and research had on many infectious diseases.

Find out more at History of infectious disease outbreaks and vaccines timeline.

Infectious Diseases A-Z: Battling a myth about measles vaccine

Infectious Diseases A-Z: Breaking down the MMR vaccine

Vaccine guidance from Mayo Clinic

Plotkin SA, et al., eds. Plotkin’s Vaccines. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 8, 2021.
Blake JB. Benjamin Waterhouse and the introduction of vaccination. Reviews of Infectious Diseases. Oxford University Press. 1987;doi:10.1093/clinids/9.5.1044.
Desmond A, et al. On the shoulders of giants — From Jenner's cowpox to mRNA Covid vaccines. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2021; doi:10.1056/NEJMp2034334.
Saleh A, et al. Vaccine development throughout history. Cureus. 2021; doi:10.7759/cureus.16635.
The history of vaccines. College of Physicians of Philadelphia. https://www.historyofvaccines.org. Accessed Oct. 7, 2021.
Stokes J, et al. Trivalent combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. JAMA. 1971;218:57.
Klein NP. Licensed pertussis vaccine in the United States: History and current state. 2014; doi:10.4161/hv.29576.
Influenza historic timeline. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// archive.cdc.gov/#/details?url=https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/pandemic-timeline-1930-and-beyond.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2024.
Poland GA, et al. Development of vaccines against Zika virus. The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 2018; doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30063-X.
Poland GA, et al. Zika vaccine development: Current status. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2019; doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.05.016.
Li YD, et al. Coronavirus vaccine development: From SARS and MERS to COVID-19. Journal of Biomedical Science. 2020; doi:10.1186/s12929-020-00695-2.
Dolgin E. The tangled history of mRNA vaccines. Nature. 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02483-w.
Goodman RA, et al., eds. Vaccination mandates: The public health imperative and individual rights. In: Law in Public Health Practice. Oxford University Press; 2007.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current trends childhood immunization initiative, United States — 5-year follow up. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 1982; http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001091.htm. Accessed Oct. 7, 2021.
Vaccination. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. https:// odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/vaccination. Accessed Nov. 13, 2024.
The history of vaccines. History of the immunization schedule. College of Physicians of Philadelphia. https:// historyofvaccines.org/activities/history-immunization-schedule. Accessed Nov. 13, 2024.
NCIRD national surveillance materials and resources. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// www.cdc.gov/ncird-surveillance/resources/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/surveillance/materials-resources.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2024.
Roush SW, et al. Historical comparisons of morbidity and mortality for vaccine-preventable disease in the United States. JAMA. 2007; doi:10.1001/jama.298.18.2155.
Poland GA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Sept. 17, 2021.
Benefits of the flu vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/benefits/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm. Accessed Nov. 13, 2024.
1918 pandemic influenza timeline. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://archive.cdc.gov/#/details?archive_url=https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm. Accessed Nov. 14, 2024.
Safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html. Accessed Oct. 8, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccine basics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https:// www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/how-they-work.html#cdc_vaccine_basics_types-types-of-vaccines. Accessed Nov. 20, 2024.
COVID-19 vaccines. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines. Accessed Dec. 2, 2024.
Poland GA, et al. The age-old struggle against the antivaccinationists. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2011; doi:10.1056/NEJMp1010594.
Clapesattle H. The Doctors Mayo. The University of Minnesota Press; 1941.
Saint Mary's isolation hospital during the influenza pandemic. Saint Marys Hospital Annals; 1918.
Harren R. Olmsted County in the grippe of Spanish influenza. The Scribe. History Center of Olmsted Country. 2018.
Strand PK. A century of caring: 1889-1989. Saint Marys Hospital; 1988.
Mayo Clinic: The battle plan for H1N1. Mayo Alumni Magazine; 2009.
First polio vaccine delivery. MayoVox. Mayo Clinic; 1955.
Rosenow EC. Prophylactic inoculation against respiratory infections during the present pandemic of influenza: Preliminary report. Mayo Clinic; 1918.
Rules concerning the report of contagious diseases. The Clinic Bulletin. 1919;1;1.
Maltezou HA, et al. Immunization of health-care providers: Necessity and public-health policies. Healthcare. 2016; doi:10.3390/healthcare4030047.
Voigt EA, et al. Defending against smallpox: A focus on vaccines. Expert Review of Vaccines. 2016; doi:10.1080/14760584.2016.1175305.
Wright GH, et al. Effect of reduced dose schedules and intramuscular injection of anthrax vaccine adsorbed on immunological response and safety profile: A randomized trial. Vaccine. 2014; doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.10.039.
Spikevax. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https:// www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/spikevax. Accessed Dec. 2, 2024.
Infectious Disease. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. https:// odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/infectious-disease. Accessed Nov. 13, 2024.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19). Accessed Nov. 27, 2024.
FDA approves and authorizes updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to better protect against currently circulating variants. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-and-authorizes-updated-mrna-covid-19-vaccines-better-protect-against-currently. Accessed Dec. 6, 2024.