CONVALESCENT WHOLE BLOOD, PLASMA AND SERUM IN PROPHYLAXIS OF MEASLES

Abstract

The universal susceptibility of the human race to measles, and the relatively high mortality from the disease under conditions of poverty and crowding, render it desirable to have available an efficient method of protection, that could be used whenever conditions render it desirable. Such a method has been worked out and found to be of value during the last few years. It consists of the administration of small doses of convalescent measles serum as soon as possible after exposure to a case of measles. The use of convalescent serum in the prophylaxis of measles was a logical sequel to the application of human convalescent serums in preventing and curing other infectious diseases for which the causative agents, as in measles, have not yet been definitely isolated and identified. Scarlet fever¹and poliomyelitis²are additional examples of infections in which the serum of convalescents and of recovered patients has