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.

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

Cannabis could help people with opioid addiction

A new study has shown that cannabidiol or CBD, found in cannabis, could help people with opioid use disorder or addiction. CBD can help reduce the symptoms of craving among addicts when on withdrawal from the opioid and also reduce the accompanying anxiety and restlessness write the authors of the study.

22 May 2019

Experts Suggest Compulsory Measles Vaccination in Children Could Prevent Epidemic

Experts have suggested that compulsory measles vaccines before children start attending school may be necessary to prevent increasing disease incidence rates worldwide.

17 May 2019

Vaccination helps protect the public from measles

The United States is experiencing its largest measles outbreak since the virus was eliminated in 2000. As of Monday, 839 cases of measles have been reported in 23 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 7 cases in Pennsylvania.

17 May 2019

Exploring the possibility of a broadly effective dengue vaccine

Dengue is on the rise, with about 20,000 patients dying each year from this mosquito-borne disease, yet despite ongoing efforts a broadly effective dengue vaccine is not available.

15 May 2019

Researchers identify 25 counties to be most at risk for measles outbreaks in the U.S.

Twenty-five counties across the country have been identified to be most at risk for a measles outbreak due to low-vaccination rates compounded by a high volume of international travel, according to an analysis by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University.

13 May 2019

Newsom changes course on plan to pay for immigrant health coverage

Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration Friday reversed course on his plan to divert public health dollars from several counties to help provide health coverage to young adults who are in the country illegally.

13 May 2019

14 years of investigations reveal how Nipah virus spreads from person to person

The deadly Nipah virus, which is carried by bats and occasionally infects people, is more likely to be transmitted from person to person when the infected patient is older, male and/or has breathing difficulties, according to a study co-led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 9 May 2019

A plan to cover immigrants would divert public health dollars

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the state to provide health coverage to low-income young adults who are in the country illegally, but his plan would siphon public health dollars from several counties battling surging rates of sexually transmitted diseases and, in some cases, measles outbreaks.

8 May 2019