Vaccination of College Students with Attenuated Live Measles Vaccine

To the Editor: Because of the recent epidemic of measles in Boston, numerous students were vaccinated with live attenuated measles vaccine. A possibility exists that among the students there might have been some with an unrecognized defective immune system, particularly those with AIDS in the overt or preclinical stage. In such persons administration of live measles vaccine may result in severe pneumonitis (giant-cell pneumonia), which may prove to be fatal. 1 2 3 4 5 Furthermore, giant-cell pneumonia, though caused by the measles virus, may not be accompanied bv rash and thus may not be easily recognized and identified. In cases described previously measles virus . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.