The differently shaded squares represent four generations of infection, from Patient Zero (the darkest red square at the top left) to the people he or she infects (the next 17 reddish squares), the people they infect in turn (the next five lines of peach-colored squares), and the people they infect (the rest of the graphic). The dark squares represent the people who die from measles.
Without vaccinations, each measles case will infect 12 to 18 other people on average every 10 to 14 days. You can see how quickly the disease spreads from the first generation (Patient Zero) to 12 to 18 people in the second generation, 144-324 people in the third generation, and 1728-5832 people in the fourth generation. That adds up to more than 6,000 infections, all within 40 days. In a country with substandard healthcare and malnutrition, up to 28 percent of those infected will die.
via The incredible power of the measles vaccine, in 3 graphics – The Washington Post.
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