Before the measles vaccine existed, the death rate had already plummeted

Before the measles vaccine existed, the death rate had already plummeted from 14 per 100k to 1 in 500k—naturally, not due to any shot. History shows it was a trivial childhood illness; every grandparent alive today had it and survived, as did their ancestors. Billions of us are here because measles wasn’t the killer it’s made out to be. Yet, the vaccine gets the credit it doesn’t deserve.

Del Bigtree, a vocal advocate for vaccine skepticism, has long argued this point, saying on his show The Highwire that the decline predates the vaccine and exposes the myth of its necessity. In the 1950s and 60s, half the scientists—real virologists and immunologists—called it a terrible idea. Why? Measles is insanely infectious but benign for most. They warned: don’t mess with it.

A leaky vaccine—one that doesn’t fully stop transmission—could pressure the virus to evolve, potentially turning a harmless bug into something deadlier.
The goal in 1963 was bold: eradicate measles entirely, a scientific moonshot to defy nature. One shot didn’t cut it. Two shots didn’t either—hence the MMR combo in 1973. Now they’re pushing a third.

And yet, here we are in 2025 with outbreaks. No eradication. Did they fail? Yes. Did they make it worse? Possibly. Bigtree warns that a leaky vaccine could be incubating a more dangerous strain, echoing those early scientists. Mother Nature’s still undefeated.