Measles News and Research

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Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus. It remains a leading cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. An estimated 197 000 people died from measles in 2007, mostly children under the age of five.

Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family. The measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and the lungs. It is a human disease not known to occur in animals.

Study looks at flu vaccine requirement for children, caregivers in U.S. child care centers

Influenza can be especially dangerous for children, who are at greater risk for serious complications from the illness, including hospitalization and even death.

12 Dec 2019

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: We spend how much on health care?

Health spending in the U.S. grew to $3.6 trillion in 2018, according to a new report from the federal government. The rate of growth — 4.6% — was up slightly from 2017's 4.2%, despite the fact that nearly a million more Americans lacked insurance.

5 Dec 2019

Typhoid conjugate vaccine proves its worth in the field

A new typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) that has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has proved extremely effective in both young children and adults in a high-endemicity area for the first time. With almost 82% of recipients showing protection against typhoid, the vaccine promises to help control this deadly disease that claims up to 160,000 of its 11 million victims each year.

5 Dec 2019

Samoa shuts down country for mass measles vaccinations

The Pacific island nation of Samoa will shut down its government services for two days while officials try to stem a deadly measles outbreak that killed 53, 48 of whom were children between 0 and 4 years old and sickened 3,728 people.

3 Dec 2019

Samoa measles epidemic escalates as death toll reaches 32

The deadly measles epidemic sweeping the Pacific islands has now claimed 32 lives in Samoa, according to the health authorities.

27 Nov 2019

Measles heralds state of emergency in Samoa

All students in Samoa should stay at home, because all schools are closed – this message may bring joy to juvenile hearts but not to those of parents and other adults, who know this is because of the destruction caused by the deadly measles epidemic that is spreading across the Pacific islands.

18 Nov 2019

Legislation and rising incidence of vaccine preventable diseases – the connection explored

There have been repeated reports of outbreaks of “vaccine-preventable disease” or VPDs across United States over the past few years. A new research letter was published this week in the JAMA Pediatrics. It was titled, “Association of Vaccine-Preventable Disease Incidence With Proposed State Vaccine Exemption Legislation.”

18 Nov 2019

Limiting the spread of vaccine-related misinformation in social media

In a year that has seen the largest measles outbreak in the US in more than two decades, the role of social media in giving a platform to unscientific anti-vaccine messages and organizations has become a flashpoint.

14 Nov 2019

Uncovering the secret weapon of rabies viruses

In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, scientists have discovered the exact site at which the immune system is disabled by the rabies virus, opening the way for a new and highly effective means of rabies prevention. This is a long-awaited discovery and could transform the field of rabies immunization.

13 Nov 2019

FIRS calls for an end to preventable deaths from pneumonia

In support of World Pneumonia Day, Nov. 12, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, of which the American Thoracic Society is a member, calls for an end to preventable pneumonia deaths, ensuring equitable access to interventions for prevention and control of pneumonia.

12 Nov 2019

Researchers condemn Trump administration’s human fetal tissue ban

After more than 30 years of researchers using human fetal tissue to investigate causes of disease and the body’s response to medications, the Trump administration banned this type of research on June 5, 2019.

11 Nov 2019

Climate change spreading deadly virus in marine mammals

A deadly virus that kills thousands of European harbour seals in the northern Atlantic Ocean has now begun affecting seals, otters and sea lions in the northern Pacific Ocean. This virus is called the phocine distemper virus (PDV) that affects animals alone and does not affect humans.

10 Nov 2019

RCSB Protein Data Bank at Rutgers receives $34.5 million funding

The RCSB Protein Data Bank headquartered at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has been awarded $34.5 million in grants over five years from three U.S. government agencies.

4 Nov 2019

Measles wipes out other immune memories

Thanks to misinformation and anti-vaccination campaigns in some pockets, United States and several nations of Europe have seen a massive outbreak of vaccine preventable measles infection over the recent years.

3 Nov 2019

Measles resets children’s immune systems to a “baby-like” state

New studies have shown that measles can compromise the immune system’s ability to fight off other future infections.

1 Nov 2019

Chest infections cause 1 in 7 child deaths

The number of deaths in children due to lower respiratory infections (LRIs) such as pneumonia and influenza has come down considerably. Yet, they still account for the highest number of deaths in children under 5 years of age, at one in seven of all deaths in this age group, according to a detailed study published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

31 Oct 2019

Study shows how measles virus causes immune amnesia

Over the last decade, evidence has mounted that the measles vaccine protects in not one but two ways: Not only does it prevent the well-known acute illness with spots and fever that frequently sends children to the hospital, but it also appears to protect from other infections over the long term.

31 Oct 2019