In 1989, the Committee of Infectious Disease of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended a second dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine be given to children entering middle school (around 11 or 12 years of age). . This recommendation did not arrive in time for the 1989 college basketball playoffs. That spring, several colleges and universities had to hold games in empty arenas or prohibit students exposed to measles from entering sporting venues.
Siena and the University of Hartford went into a quarantine over measles cases at their respective campuses in February 1989. However, Hartford was to host the North Atlantic Conference Tournament at that time, so the only options were to cancel the tournament or play without fans. . The disruptions to the basketball games lasted well into March as more cases were identified, .
Siena would win the conference title with “no crowd to go wild” when a last-second basket clinched the championship.
1989 was a record year for measles in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 17,840 cases, “a 423% increase [in 1989] over the 3411 cases reported for 1988.” This was the largest number since 1978, and the 41 deaths in US residents associated with measles were the highest since 1971. On average, in the United States. Reasons for the epidemic that lasted from 1989 to 1991 include the one-shot recommendation, and budget cuts to childhood vaccination programs in the United States. .
Unfortunately, the Vaccines for Children program was created too late for many children. Then there was the matter of vaccine hesitancy among parents... In 1991, . The courts had to get involved to immunize children whose parents would not immunize on religious grounds:
Soon after the United States and other developed nations adopted the two-dose recommendation, . This led to . Today, , with many of those deaths associated with comorbidities like malnutrition or poor healthcare infrastructure.
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