Measles vaccine. This is a 20 minute film. This is the virus. A tiny organism magnified here a thousand times by an electron microscope. This is the disease caused by the virus. One which has plagued man since recorded history. This is the scientist of harv d harvard. This is where the vaccine is tested and produced throughout the world. West point, pennsylvania. And this is the vaccine itself. The end product of medicines long match with measles. Many parents think of measles as just a common new sans that makes their children feel miserable and keeps them out of school for awhile. But fissions today know that measles is more than a nuisance. It can bring on bacterial infections. Cause fatal pneumonia, and also inflammation of the brain. Each case needs good medical care. It is not so much because of the usual symptoms, but rather to be sure that the young patient is not developing serious complications. Half of the patients with natural measles show some brain involvement during the disease. After the disease is passed, most patients such as this boy being tested in philadelphias Childrens Hospital should return to a normal brain wave pattern. A distinct contrast to the pattern during the disease. Still in those patients that showed the abnormal result in their illness, the possibility of future emotional instability or mental deficiency, or mental retardation cannot be ruled out. Fortunately only about one measles patient in a,000 develops this. At of this time, measles is our most serious disease. In 1961, after the polio vaccines reduced the deaths from that disease to 90, that same year 434 measles deaths were reported. In the less developed countries of the world, the toll taken by immedia measles is greater. The tragic toll of measles is told in a village where an epidemic killed 113 out of 115 children that got the disease. Across the ocean in chili, measles accounts for half of all childhood deaths from communicable diseases. Measles takes its toll on human life. It was a physician that gave the first classical description of measles a century ago. It had often been considered a form of the pox. But these early doctors scri described and treated the symptoms of the disease, but not the cause. There was remedies but no prevention. The cause remained a mystery. In the 18th century, the light began to dawn on some of the causes of Infectious Diseases. Harvard scientist and nobel prize winner. A few years after doctor dr. Enders paved the way, their first objective to find and grow the measles virus. Blood samples taken from dr. Peebles were injected into human kidney cells and incubated. Techniques like these carried out today by dr. Samuel katz, tissues cells are check for the record any changes in the cells. David edmonson begins to show remarkable changes. These might be caused by the measles virus. Dr. Enders is called in to observe it. To prove it is the measles virus, they decide to inject it into the only animal that will contract the disease, monkeys. Monkeys, which have never been exposed to measles. In a few days, when the monkey develops measles, they know they have isolated and grown the edmanson strain of the measles virus. Now they discuss the longest and in many ways the most difficult task of all, how to attenuate or weaken the virus so that it will produce antibodies and thus provide immunity without transmitting the disease itself. Its a little like walking on a tightrope. Its grown once in one tissue and then another. Human kidney tissue, egg amnion, chick embryo. It is transferred. It is incubated. Always carefully watched and safeguarded against bacterial infection at every stage. As the weeks pass, the virus makes 72 passages in all before dr. Enders decides its ready for the next test with experimental animals. Two groups of monkeys are used. One group is given the attenuated virus as a vaccine. The other group is not vaccinated. Later, both groups are given the full strength measles virus. In a few weeks, the results are evident. The monkeys that were not vaccinated developed measles. The ones like this one that were given the experimental vaccine show no signs of measles but they have developed protective antibodies. Dr. Enders and dr. Katz now know they have developed for the first time a vaccine which will provide safe protection against measles. It only remains to test the attenuated live virus vaccine with humans, starting first with children at a state school, dr. Katz then inoculated volunteers at the labs in the hospital. The results are most interesting and spark interest throughout virology. One who saw the importance of moving forward with this breakthrough was dr. Morris hillman, director of virus and Cell Technology at a Research Laboratory in west point, pennsylvania. With cultures of attenuated virus at the lab, the doctors and colleagues undertake the development of experimental quantities. At the same time, the doctor draws up the design of the next critical step, broad scale clinical testing. Collaborating with the doctor is a group at Childrens Hospital philadelphia, headed by dr. Joseph stokes, nationally known pediatrician and medical scientist. Here with him, doctors robert e. Wieble, jay ronald halenda and Charles Riley map out a plan for field trials in southeastern pennsylvania. More than 1500 children and their parents cooperate. One group of children receive the live vaccine by injection. The trial also studies how gamma globulins modify the reaction to the vaccine. Another set of children for comparison receive injections that do not contain the live vaccine. A blood sample taken from each child before vaccination tells which children have not previously had the disease. Each sample is analyzed and a Research Laboratory. Another sample taken four weeks later shows whether the child has developed antibodies to the vaccine. Then over the next year of so, a close check isept to see if any of the children contract the disease. The results fulfill all expectations. The vaccinated children are protected. None of them get measles when exposed to it. From new york university, dr. Sal krugman reports similar findings as does dr. Fred mccrum from the university of emptied. The trial spread across the country. The vaccine is tested in 18 states from the eastern seaboard to california. As the data from all these field trials accumulate, answers to earlier questions emerge. The live measles vaccine is producing a lie level of immunity, safely, consistently, and the immunity appears to be long lasting. Answers are also emerging on the problems of large Scale Production and Quality Control. As manufacturing gets under way in the biological laboratories at west point, pennsylvania. The less developed countries in africa watched this progress with great interest. Helping them launch studies of the vaccine are first the u. S. Armed forces epidemiological board and later the World Health Organization and u. S. Public health service. In 1962, an urgent request came. Satisfied with preliminary tests asked for a massive vaccination effort to help us protect our children before measles strikes again. At the same time, it could save thousands of lives. The response is immediate. To help train local teams and study the immunization, they send a medical team from their center of biologic standards. Vehicles are supplied. The vaccine is contributed by merck, sharp, and dome. The drum speaks to the people. Come to the village. The doctors are here with the medicine. It can protect your children. And the people do come, bringing their children, bringing their hopes and fears. At each village, the inoculator used is carefully explained. Then begins the long hard job of giving the lifesaving vaccine to the children. As soon as one village has been protected, the team must move on to the next. Everywhere they are greeted by huge crowds. The vaccine must be kept refrigerated to protect it from the intense african heat. At each new location, the inoculater is cleaned and checked. The lines seem endless. All the children must get the vaccine. Village after village, the people come by the thousands. The team works around the clock. At last the work is done. By march 1963, thousands of children in upper volta receive live measles vaccine. Many thousands of lives may have been saved. That same month, the department of Health Education and welfare licenses the vaccine for general use in the United States. The Surgeon General of the United StatesPublic Health service, dr. Luther terry, has this to say. Over the past several years, measles vaccines have been successfully tested, both in this country and abroad. This painstaking evaluation was made possible by the cooperative effort of scientists both in and out of government, by physicians, by the drug industry, and by thousands of unselfish and courageous parents who have permitted their children to participate in the field trials. The secretary of Health Education and welfare has now licensed the vaccine for general use. As increasing numbers of children are vaccinated, we will be well on the way to eradicating the disease that down through the centuries has killed millions of children and left others impaired mentally and physically. All of those who have contributed in any way to this cause for Better Health can be proud of a good achievement. Within 48 hours of licenses, supplies of the vaccine are ready for shipment to doctors throughout the country. Today, production of a vaccine is in full swing, protected at each step by the elaborate manufacturing controls established by industry together with the federal government. Production of the live virus vaccine begins with fertile chicken eggs. To assure absolute purity, the eggs are taken from select diseasefree chickens kept in strict sanitary isolation. The eggs are opened and the embryos are carefully removed. They are minced and washed. Then further broken down by a chemical substance that reduces the tissue to individual cells. It is only in living cells that the virus can grow. To keep these cells alive and growing, a special nutrient is prepared. A precise number of cells is counted, and introduced into each bottle. Then the measles virus is introduced. 80 of the culture bottles are infected. The other 20 are used as controls. They provide a way to check against any possible impurities in the cells. The cells attach themselves to the walls and in the infected bottles, the virus grows in the cells. Now begins a threeweek period in which the nutrient is periodically replaced. The cells are rinsed and the growth is carefully watched. It is now taken from the cultures bottles containing a high concentration of measles virus. The individual harvests are pooled together. Also a stabilizer is added and samples removed for testing. Finally, the entire pool of vaccine is filtered. This at last is the pure live virus vaccine. It is frozen at minus 75 degrees to await results of final testing. It takes 137 days to produce the vaccine. 96 of these are devoted to meticulous Quality Control testing. More than 35 separate tests are performed to insure potency, safety, and other measures of Quality Control. For each person involved in the actual production of the vaccine, eight people devote their time to testing and control. Finally, the vaccine which has passed all of the tests is broad and transferred into individual bottles. These are then freeze dried, capped, and sealed. The end result is a single dose vial of the live attenuated measles vaccine. But the real story of a vaccine is told in the fears and smiles of a little girl. Who today is given greater protection than ever before against the Infectious Diseases of childhood. There remain other viruses to be isolated. Other vaccines to come, but they will, and like this little girl, millions of children over the world will have an even safer and healthier life. The cspan cities tour is were featuring American History tv programs this week. Tonight a look at the modern presidency, beginning with three former speech writers, talking about the process of turning a president s policies and politics into a speech. American history tv, tonight, at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan 3. Every saturday night, American History takes you to lectures across the country. Raise your hand if you know who Lizzie Borden is. The transformation that took place in the minds of the american people. Well talk about both of the sides of the story here, right . The tools, the techniques of slave owner power and well also talk about the tools and techniques of power that were practiced by enslaved people. Watch history professors lead discussions with their students on topics ranging from the American Revolution to september 11th. Are ele lectures in history on cspan 3 every saturday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern and lectures in history is available as a podcast. Find it where you listen to podcasts. Next on reel america, a 1969 look at the u. S. Drug problem. The film the distant drummer bridge from no place details efforts to study and implement new treatments for addiction. Narrated by actor Richard Steiger is one in a fourpart series from hollywood actors that argued for treatment and Research Rather than criminalization of drug use and possession. London bridge is