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During the 1989–1991 U.S. measles epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente conducted a clinical trial in Los Angeles testing the Edmonston-Zagreb (E-Z) measles vaccine on nearly 1,500 predominantly Black and Latino infants. The study aimed to compare the experimental E-Z vaccine, used...

Before diving into the details of anti-vaccine rhetoric, let's establish a foundational truth: vaccines rank among medicine's greatest achievements, preventing millions of deaths annually. By some estimates, vaccines have saved over 150 million lives in the last 50 years. That’s 150 million who are our neighbors, friends, and...

The 2025 influenza season has surged to unprecedented levels, with flu activity across the United States reaching its highest intensity since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. According to the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu-related doctor’s visits and hospitalizations have skyrocketed, making this...

Rabies, historically known as hydrophobia due to the terrifying symptom of water aversion in infected individuals, has long been one of the most feared diseases known to humankind. Before the advent of the rabies vaccine, a bite or even mere exposure to an infected animal’s saliva was often a death...

Every year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updates the recommended immunization schedule, and this year is no different. Think of it as a yearly tune-up for your car—except it’s for public health. You don’t have to memorize it (I promise there won’t be a pop quiz), but staying...

Editor Note: This post is unusual for History of Vaccines because it doesn’t talk about a vaccine-preventable disease. However, in honor of President Jimmy Carter, we would like to take a moment and celebrate his contributions to humanity, especially on his initiatives to eradicate dracunculiasis (aka “Guinea Worm Disease”). May...

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, might not be a name you hear every day, but it’s a virus that can cause serious trouble for older adults. While RSV often gets discussed as a childhood illness, it’s also a major concern for seniors, particularly those with other health conditions. A...

In December 1919, the holiday spirit in Sussex County, Delaware, was overshadowed by an outbreak of smallpox, an illness that had long haunted humanity as one of the deadliest diseases in history. The trouble began near Millsboro, in the Indian River Hundred, where early reports suggested it might be...

In October 2022, public health officials in New York City noticed something concerning: an outbreak of chickenpox (also called varicella) was spreading, primarily among immigrant families living in city shelters and residential facilities. What started as a small cluster of cases quickly grew. By March 2024, there were 873...

Throughout human history, four infectious diseases have dominated as the leading killers: tuberculosis, smallpox, plague, and malaria. While tuberculosis claims the highest death toll across history, with an estimated 1 billion lives lost, smallpox follows closely behind, killing approximately 300-500 million people in the...