Measles (original) (raw)
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The first serious outbreak of measles occurred in Carthage in A.D. 251. It spread to the rest of the Roman Empire and its height it was killing 5,000 people a day in Rome. Early symptoms include shivering, headache, and a running nose. After four days small red spots appear on the body. The disease lowers resistance and is sometimes followed by pneumonia. Before the 19th century measles killed large numbers of people in Britain. Since the introduction of a measles vaccine and antibiotics very few people die from the disease.
Primary Sources
(1) Edwin Chadwick, The Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population (1842)
Number of Deaths in 1838 and 1839 Disease 1838 1839 Typhus 24,577 25,991 Smallpox 16,268 9,131 Measles 6,514 10,937 Whooping Cough 9,107 8,165 Consumption 59,025 59,559 Pneumonia 17,999 18,151