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Up To Date

Highly Contagious Virus? Missouri's History Repeats Itself

By Steve Kraske,
Trevor Grandin
Published August 3, 2021 at 5:00 PM CDT
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Local jurisdictions are weighing the decision to update their health orders after Kansas City issued a mandate that would require masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3
Local jurisdictions are weighing the decision to update their health orders after Kansas City issued a mandate that would require masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

As hospitals fill up and people continue to fall to the delta variant, a story from Missouri's past reveals this isn't the state's first battle with vaccine hesitancy.

In 1907, smallpox was widely under control. Despite the widespread acceptance of a vaccine one unvaccinated Missouri legislator brought the virus into the capital building in Jefferson City. The ensuing panic brought about a conversation on public healthcare and inoculation. The result was a vaccination mandate for both the legislature and Jefferson City.

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Up To Date PodcastCoronavirushistoryMissouri historyJefferson Cityvaccines
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Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Trevor Grandin
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
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