Ancient Origin
Molecular studies suggest measles virus evolved from rinderpest virus, a cattle morbillivirus. Different reviews published argues about it’s origin ranging from 6th century BCE to 4th century BCE.
According to the CDC, one of the first written evidence was found in 9th century. However, the clear differentiation of measles from smallpox was reported by Rhazes in the 10th century. This proved to be one of the major breakthroughs as measles, smallpox, scarlet fever and rubella had similar rash-like presentations.
Spread During Renaissance and 1700s
Berche’s review says measles spread worldwide from the Renaissance. The disease became one of the common childhood infections in many parts of the world. In 1757, Scottish physician Francis Home demonstrated that measles was caused by an infectious agent present in blood. This helped in understanding measles as an infectious disease than a vague rash fever.
Epidemic in 1800s and Early 1900s
In 1846, a major measles epidemic was studied by Danish physician Peter Panum in Faroe Islands, which was also listed by the WHO among isolated populations devastated by measles introduction. Furthermore, the disease reached Hawai’i in 1948, and Fiji in 1875 as an epidemic, recording extremely high mortality rate.
Measles became a natioally notifiable disease in the United States in 1912, resulting in about 6,000 deaths per year.
Shocking Death Rates: Pre-Vaccine Era
According to CDC, nearly all the children in U.S. got measles by age 15 during early mid-20th century. 400-500 deaths were reported per year out of 3-4 million infections.
Moreover, the worldwide reports before vaccination were more dangerous, with about 30 million cases and over 2 million deaths each year, as reported by WHO. This makes measles one of the major historical killers of children before vaccines.
Vaccine Development and Breakthrough
In 1954, John F. Enders and Thomas C. Peebles isolated measles virus durig a Boston school outbreak from a 11-year-old David Edmonston. It was named as the Edmonston stain, and became foundation for many later measles vaccines.
The first measles vaccine was licensed in 1963 in the United States. An improved measles vaccine was later created by Maurice Hilleman in 1968, which has been the only measles vaccine used in the United States since then. During the same year, UK introduced measles vaccine. Before vaccine introduction, the UK repored 160,000-800,000 measles cases per year, with around 100 deaths annually.
In 1971, Hilleman combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccines into the MMR vaccine. After a decade, the reported cases in the US were 80% lower than the previous year.
An interesting incident happened in medical history as a fraudulent Lancet paper falsely linked MMR with autism in 1998. This became one of the most damaging misinformation events in vaccine history, as it contributed to lower vaccination rates. However, due to the paper lacking robust evidence, the lead author was barred from medical practice after misconduct findings.
Vaccine Impact and Declining Cases: 21st Century
Even the absence of continuous disease was reported in various regions, WHO estimates showed measles deaths at about 780,000 in 2000. During 2003-2005, South Africa experienced a measles outbreak after near-elimination, reporting 1,676 cases. This outbreak triggered the scientistists that even after strong control, immunity gaps can allow resurgence. It became more evident in 2009-2010 as a larger outbreak hit South Africa, reporting an estimated 18,000 confirmed cases.
WHO compared deaths during overlapping outbreaks in DRC from 2018-2020, which showed 7,800 measles death during the period, compared to 2,299 Ebola deaths. In 2019, WHO reported over 207,000 measles deaths globally, the highest number of reported cases in 23 years. While it declined to 95,000 in 2024, measles remains deadly where vaccination coverage is low.
Measles vaccination prevented approximately 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2024, as the death rate fell from 780,000 in 2000 to 95,000 in 2024.
Bangladesh Measles Outbreak: 2026
Bangladesh is facing a major nationwide measles outbreak in 2026. As of May 23, 2026, there were 62,507 suspected measles cases and 8,494 confirmed infections. The suspected death toll has crossed 500, with more than 100 confirmed deaths by measles. The outbreak is heavily concentrated among very young children, about 79-81% of cases under five. WHO assessed the national risk in Bangladesh as high, considering the current situation of outbreak. UNICEF linked the crisis to immunity gaps as report showed that 72% of cases were zero-dose children and 16% were partially vaccinated.
The United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom are some of the countries where measles cases have surged in 2025 and 2026. The Americas recorded a 43-fold increase in early 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
References
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