麻疹疫苗於20世紀60年代初在美國首次問世，由美國生物醫學科學家John F. Enders和同事共同研發。 1968年，由美國微生物學家Maurice Hilleman和同事共同研發的改進麻疹疫苗在美國廣泛使用，該疫苗已使用至今。

1971年，麻疹、腮腺炎和風疹的聯合疫苗(MMR疫苗)，或者與腮腺炎、風疹、水痘聯合疫苗(MMRV疫苗)顯著減少了美國麻疹病例的數量。

1981年之前，該疫苗是單劑量給藥，與上年相比，已經減少了80%的麻疹報告病例數。但在1989-1991暴發了嚴重的麻疹疫情， 55622名美國人可能感染病毒，其中123人死亡。疫情暴發是由於疫苗接種率過低， 90%的死亡發生在沒有接種疫苗的人群中。

因此，一些醫療機構，包括免疫接種谘詢委員會實踐(ACIP)和美國小兒科學會(AAP) 建議給所有孩子接種兩劑MMR疫苗，而不是一劑。因此兒童疫苗(VFC)計劃在1994年提出。

現在，美國疾病控製和預防中心(CDC)推薦所有孩子接受兩劑MMR疫苗，第一劑建議在12-15個月齡接種，第二劑量建議在4-6歲接種。

對麻疹病毒不能免疫的成年人，疾病預防控製中心也建議他們應該至少接種MMR疫苗一劑。

與“前”疫苗時代相比，CDC稱在美國MMR疫苗減少了99%的麻疹病例，而在2000年宣布麻疹已經在當地得到了根治。這意味著當年超過12個月沒有連續疾病傳播。

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.