SYNOPSIS
The report makes useful recommendations for future investigations, for the problem has yet to be solved of finding a vaccine which causes only slight reactions and provides long-lasting immunity.
TITLE
More Work on Measles Vaccine
CITATION
SUMMARY
Discussing the indications for the large-scale use of measles vaccines, the report stresses the need to consider the importance of the disease in different countries individually. It shows that there is an urgent need for effective protection against measles in developing countries where the disease generally has a high death rate. Against this must be weighed the characteristics and properties of the available vaccines-for example, safety, efficacy, acceptability, availability, cost, and ease of administration. Unfortunately none of the vaccines at present available is completely satisfactory. The further-attenuated vaccines are effective and relatively easy to administer, though great care is necessary to avoid contamination of the syringe with preservatives, detergents, alcohols, or other lipid solvents, since these rapidly inactivate the virus. These vaccines are expensive and not yet available in large quantities, though these objections may be overcome in the future, but the main drawback to their mass use remains-namely, the severity of the reaction in a few of the children vaccinated. The report makes useful recommendations for future investigations, for the problem has yet to be solved of finding a vaccine which causes only slight reactions and provides long-lasting immunity. Meanwhile further trials of the Beckenham 20 vaccine are proceeding, this time in Great Britain.
