Use of Live-Measles-Virus Vaccine to Abort an Expected Outbreak of Measles within a Closed Population

Abstract

THE use of live-measles-virus vaccine to modify an expected outbreak of regular measles among institutionalized children would have certain advantages over gamma globulin given for the same purpose. Whereas commercial globulin preparations contain variable quantities of measles antibody that at best offer transient immunity, the vaccine almost always infects the seronegative vaccinee and causes a mild illness followed by immunity of undetermined but possibly lifelong duration.¹ The introduction of regular measles into an isolated ward of tuberculous children allowed us to test under carefully controlled conditions the modifying capacity of live vaccine and gamma globulin in combination. The expected outbreak . . .