Episode 5 – Pioneering Protection
Last Updated on February 28, 2024 by Brenda
In the 1700’s life expectancy was low and many children died from horrible diseases. Some great scientists began looking at similarities and for ways to prevent illnesses from developing in people. This stared with the Small Pox vaccine in the late 1700’s which eventually lead to the elimination of the disease around the world.
Polio is another disease that is almost eliminated due to the vaccination. This vaccination began being administered in 1955 and by 1994 the disease is considered eliminated in North America. A few isolated cases have appeared as unvaccinated people travel from other countries.
Another miracle for parents was the rabies vaccine that was developed in 1885. Prior to this a bite by an rabid animal was certain death. Now those bitten, can expect a full recovery if they receive a series of shots after being bitten.
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection marked by a cough so severe it chokes away the ability to breath. It’s especially important for mothers-to-be and parents of young children to be aware of the cough and understand how to prevent it. Many children have died from pertussis. The first vaccine to prevent the whooping cough was licensed in 1914 and it is now part of a series of vaccines that include diphtheria and tetanus
The Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, led scientists to focus on a vaccine to prevent spreading the flu. They were able to identify the strain and create a vaccine that helped end the pandemic in 1920. Because the flu virus is one that mutates and has new strains, scientists work to identify which strain of the virus might be the current year’s most prevalent and create a vaccine to address it. Some years they are very successful and other years not so much. But the vaccine has reduced deaths caused by the flu over time.
Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Also called rubeola, measles spreads easily and can be serious and even fatal for small children. While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 200,000 people a year, mostly children. Once quite common, measles can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine.
More than 500,000 cases of measles occurred each year in the U.S. in the 20th century compared with 13 cases in 2020 due to the effective vaccines that were developed and began being administered in the 1950’s
Before mumps vaccine was available in the United States, most children got mumps by the time they reached adolescence. Reported cases decreased by more than 99% after both the mumps vaccination program started in the U.S. in 1967 and children regularly received two doses of MMR vaccine. Cases decreased from 152,209 in 1968 to 231 in 2003.
Rubella is a contagious viral infection best known by its distinctive red rash. It’s also called German measles or three-day measles. This infection may cause mild or no symptoms in most people. However, it can cause serious problems for unborn babies whose mothers become infected during pregnancy. In 1969, The first rubella vaccine is licensed in the U.S. About 47,000 rubella cases occurred each year in the U.S. in the 20th century compared with six cases in 2020. About 152 annual cases of congenital rubella syndrome occurred in the U.S. in the 20th century compared with no cases in 2020.
Chickenpox is an illness caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It brings on an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Chickenpox spreads very easily to people who haven’t had the disease or haven’t gotten the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox used to be a widespread problem, but today the vaccine protects children from it. 4 million children came down with chicken pox in the United States each year. A vaccine was introduced in the 1990’s and now chicken pox does not exist in US children.
Over time vaccines have saved family time, money and especially the grief of dealing with a debilitating or fatal disease. Life expectancy for children in America has increase from 30 to 40 years old in the 1700’s to 77 years due in large part to the development of vaccines.
