u.s rubella outbreak
Rubella, a contagious viral disease, was the source for many deaths in early to mid 1900’s and particularly in 1964. Due to the fact that rubella is easily spread there was an abundance of people infected. Those that were most susceptible to the disease were children and pregnant women because of their weak immune system. Children growing up during this time period were forced to stay indoors and often placed in quarantine to avoid the spread of the disease. Because rubella can be spread from mother to child it was asked that children stay away from pregnant women. If a pregnant woman were to contract the disease her child would be at risk and could be born blind, deaf, with a mental disorder, or the child could even be stillborn. Nearly 50,000 women in vulnerable stages of their pregnancies were infected with rubella during the outbreak, leading to thousands of miscarriages and even more children being born with severe damage.
"Vaccine Timeline." History of Vaccines. N.p., n.p. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/rubella >.
"Vaccine Timeline." History of Vaccines. N.p., n.p. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. <http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/rubella >.