Our daughter just received her MMR vaccine. In the United States, prior to widespread vaccination, measles caused approximately 400–500 deaths per year, along with 48,000 hospitalizations, 1,000 cases of encephalitis, and 3–4 million infections annually. Counting the deaths alone only tells part of the story, since measles infections can lead to other lasting health consequences. Globally, measles was responsible for 2.6 million deaths per year before vaccination efforts ramped up. The MMR vacci