Measles News and Research

RSS

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.

Exemptions surge as parents and doctors do ‘Hail Mary’ around vaccine laws

At two public charter schools in the Sonoma wine country town of Sebastopol, more than half the kindergartners received medical exemptions from state-required vaccines last school year.

5 Apr 2019

How easy are vaccine exemptions? Take a look at the Oregon model

As measles outbreaks continue in the Northwest and across the nation, newly revealed health records from Oregon suggest it's surprisingly easy to opt out of required vaccinations in that state — as in several others.

4 Apr 2019

Measles fear leads to a ban on unvaccinated children from public places

At Rockland county in New York City's northern regions, this week on Tuesday (26th March 2019), a ban was called into action. Children who are not vaccinated against measles are now banned to attend any public place. This comes as a result of the recent measles outbreaks which has caused more than 150 cases since last fall.

27 Mar 2019

Anti-vaxxer Italian leader down with chickenpox

In a twist of fate, an Italian politician who was lobbying against mandatory vaccination laws, has come down with chickenpox and is now hospitalized.

21 Mar 2019

Does it make sense to delay children’s vaccines?

When Elyse Imamura's son was an infant, she and her husband, Robert, chose to spread out his vaccinations at a more gradual pace than the official schedule recommended.

20 Mar 2019

Space worries - shingles affecting astronauts says NASA

NASA has come up with a warning about herpes zoster or shingles being activated among crew aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station missions. The problem was highlighted in a study that appeared in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

19 Mar 2019

Italy bans unvaccinated children from school amid measles outbreak

Italian parents who have not had their children vaccinated could soon either have to pay hefty fines or see their children banned from school.

13 Mar 2019

New Zealand faces dangerous measles outbreak with 25 confirmed cases

New Zealand is facing a serious outbreak of measles with 25 confirmed cases. A nationwide alert has been sounded and vaccines against the viral disease are being sent to the affected areas.

12 Mar 2019

Virginia Tech professor uses mathematical modeling simulations to assess vaccine efficacy

The recent measles outbreaks across the country emphasize the importance of vaccinations.

11 Mar 2019

Comprehensive analysis of sewage reveals antimicrobial resistance levels worldwide

A comprehensive analysis of sewage collected in 74 cities in 60 countries has yielded the first, comparable global data, which show the levels and types of antimicrobial resistant bacteria that are present in mainly healthy people in these countries.

9 Mar 2019

Anti-vaccination activists are misusing new scientific breakthroughs on beneficial microbes

Anti-vaccination activists are capitalizing on radical new scientific insights into the beneficial effects of microbes in the human body, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

8 Mar 2019

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ What’s next for the FDA?

The resignation of Scott Gottlieb as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration caught many FDA watchers by surprise. Gottlieb has been an active regulator in a very anti-regulatory Trump administration.

7 Mar 2019

A mumps quarantine in La. may encroach on rights of detained immigrants

A mumps outbreak and quarantine at the Pine Prairie Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Louisiana blocked immigrants from legal resources, including their lawyers and the law library, for about two weeks in January and February, according to the attorneys.

7 Mar 2019

Large study finds no connection between MMR vaccine and autism

Finally the verdict is out. A large study has proven conclusively that there is no association between Measles Mumps and Rubella combined vaccine or the MMR vaccine and autism. The results of the landmark study were published in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

6 Mar 2019