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.

Pins and needles: Pinterest tackles spread of vaccine misinformation

Pinterest, the social media web and mobile application company which collates information on a variety of sites by topic, recognizes the critical role that social media plays in spreading health misinformation, and has taken several radical steps to correct this.

30 Aug 2019

Individual’s trust and proximity to disease outbreak may affect vaccination attitudes

An individual’s trust in institutions such as the CDC, and how close they live to a recent measles outbreak, may affect their attitudes on measles vaccination, according to a study published August 28, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Florian Justwan of the University of Idaho, USA, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 26 Aug 2019

Measles back in UK three years after elimination

The United Kingdom was declared to be free of measles infection three years back in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO). In a recent development, due to the increasing number of cases of measles among unvaccinated children, the WHO has declared that UK can no longer be called measles-free.

20 Aug 2019

Study provides 'strongest evidence' yet for autism being a genetic condition

A new study has found that approximately 80 percent of a person’s risk of developing autism stems from inherited genetic factors.

22 Jul 2019

Fear, trust, likelihood of exposure influence people’s willingness to be vaccinated

Fear, trust, and the likelihood of exposure are three leading factors that influence whether people are willing to be vaccinated against a virulent disease, according to a new study in the journal Heliyon, published by Elsevier.

19 Jul 2019

Australia leads the world in childhood immunization coverage

Even as Australia reels under a deadly flu season, some solace may be found in the fact that almost 95% of of five-year-old Australian children are almost completely immunized against deadly childhood diseases, according to the latest report.

8 Jul 2019

Number of fully-immunized Australian kids hits record high

New data for the March quarter in 2019 revealed the immunization rates for all five-year-old children in the country increased to 94.78 percent from the previous record of 94.67 percent in December 2018.

7 Jul 2019

New statement lays down recommendations to combat fall in vaccination rates

Search engines and social media organizations must do more to prevent the spread of inaccurate information on childhood vaccination, and governments must better support mandatory immunization programs, says an international group of leading public health scientists in a statement published in the Journal of Health Communication.

2 Jul 2019

State broadens investigation of doctors for issuing questionable vaccination exemptions

The California agency that regulates doctors is investigating at least four physicians for issuing questionable medical exemptions to children whose parents did not want them immunized.

2 Jul 2019

Vaccine drama on display in California’s Capitol

They hoisted signs warning of corporate greed, raised their fists in solidarity against government tyranny and blasted fight songs over portable speakers.

22 Jun 2019

Measles vaccination associated with health, schooling benefits among children

While the measles vaccine has eliminated the virus in many high-income countries, the global burden of disease persists with an estimated 245,000 measles cases and 68,000 measles-associated deaths worldwide in 2016.

21 Jun 2019

California vaccine bill amended to appease governor

A California lawmaker on Tuesday made substantial changes to his contentious vaccine bill after Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials raised concerns that the measure was too strict and gave too much power to bureaucrats to decide which children could skip their routine shots.

18 Jun 2019

A proposal to make it harder for kids to skip vaccines gives powerful voices pause

As California lawmakers attempt to tighten the rules on childhood vaccinations, they're getting pushback from unexpected quarters: high-profile officials who support vaccines.

14 Jun 2019

Children up to date on pertussis vaccine schedule have low risk of developing whooping cough

In a large new Kaiser Permanente study, children who were up to date on their pertussis vaccine schedule were far less likely to develop the disease than unvaccinated children.

11 Jun 2019

How measles detectives work to contain an outbreak

On any given day, more than 4,000 people pass through the library at California State University-Los Angeles.

10 Jun 2019

Public health leaders issue statement asserting its commitment to vaccine acceptance

On Thursday, an international coalition of public health leaders including CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Dean Ayman El-Mohandes and Senior Scholar Scott Ratzan issued a statement asserting its commitment to vaccine acceptance around the world and to eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases, including childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella.

31 May 2019

U.S. measles outbreak worst in 25 years

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reported yesterday (30th of May 2019) that this year the number of measles cases in the United States has reached 971 – a record number in the last 25 years.

30 May 2019

Measles vaccination for all to prevent future disease outbreaks

Measles was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000, but has reappeared in recent months in the form of outbreaks in several states.

24 May 2019

Study reveals a better way to help increase support for vaccinations

The re-introduction of measles, mumps and other previously eradicated diseases to the United States is nothing short of a public health crisis. Since Jan. 1, a staggering 880 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 24 states -- the greatest number of cases since 1994. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.

23 May 2019

UGA researchers create statistical method to better predict disease reemergence

Several University of Georgia researchers teamed up to create a statistical method that may allow public health and infectious disease forecasters to better predict disease reemergence, especially for preventable childhood infections such as measles and pertussis.

22 May 2019