麻疹疫苗于20世纪60年代初在美国首次问世，由美国生物医学科学家John F. Enders和同事共同研发。 1968年，由美国微生物学家Maurice Hilleman和同事共同研发的改进麻疹疫苗在美国广泛使用，该疫苗已使用至今。

        1971年，麻疹、腮腺炎和风疹的联合疫苗(MMR疫苗)，或者与腮腺炎、风疹、水痘联合疫苗(MMRV疫苗)显著减少了美国麻疹病例的数量。

        1981年之前，该疫苗是单剂量给药，与上年相比，已经减少了80%的麻疹报告病例数。但在1989-1991暴发了严重的麻疹疫情， 55622名美国人可能感染病毒，其中123人死亡。疫情暴发是由于疫苗接种率过低， 90%的死亡发生在没有接种疫苗的人群中。

        因此，一些医疗机构，包括免疫接种咨询委员会实践(ACIP)和美国小儿科学会(AAP) 建议给所有孩子接种两剂MMR疫苗，而不是一剂。因此儿童疫苗(VFC)计划在1994年提出。

        现在，美国疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)推荐所有孩子接受两剂MMR疫苗，第一剂建议在12-15个月龄接种，第二剂量建议在4-6岁接种。

        对麻疹病毒不能免疫的成年人，疾病预防控制中心也建议他们应该至少接种MMR疫苗一剂。

        与“前”疫苗时代相比，CDC称在美国MMR疫苗减少了99%的麻疹病例，而在2000年宣布麻疹已经在当地得到了根治。这意味着当年超过12个月没有连续疾病传播。

The rise of the measles vaccine

        But in the early 1960s came the first licensed measles vaccine in the US, created by American biomedical scientist John F. Enders and colleagues. In 1968, an improved measles vaccine - created by American microbiologist Maurice Hilleman and colleagues - was distributed in the US, and this vaccine has been used ever since.

        The vaccine - which in 1971, was administered in combination with mumps and rubella to form the MMR vaccine, or with mumps, rubella and varicella to form the MMRV vaccine - dramatically reduced the the number of measles cases in the US.

        It was first administered in a single dose, which by 1981, had reduced the number of reported measles cases by 80%, compared with the previous year. But in 1989-91 came a severe measles outbreak, which saw 55,622 Americans become infected with the virus and 123 associated deaths. The outbreak was attributed to low vaccination rates; 90% of all fatalities occurred in people who were not vaccinated.

        As a result, a number of health bodies - including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) - recommended that the MMR vaccine be given to all children in two doses instead of one. This led to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program being introduced in 1994.

        Now, current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that all children should receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, with the first dose to be administered at the age of 12-15 months and the second dose to be given at the age of 4-6 years.

        For adults who are not immune to the measles virus, the CDC recommend that they should receive at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.

        Compared with the pre-vaccine era, the CDC say the MMR vaccine has led to a 99% reduction in measles cases in the US, and in 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the country - meaning there had been no continuous disease transmission for over 12 months.