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.

Risk Analysis publishes special issue focused on global measles and rubella eradication

Despite goals in every World Health Organization region to eliminate measles by 2020, measles and rubella continue to cause relatively high levels of morbidity and mortality.

25 Jul 2017

Kent State professor offers reliable information about vaccine safety, urges to promote immunization

The center of a public health debate is whether parents should have their children vaccinated. Tara Smith, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Kent State University's College of Public Health, challenges statements made by influential individuals who oppose the widespread use of vaccines, and she calls upon her colleagues in the scientific community to speak out to promote vaccination.

19 Jul 2017

Global multi-stakeholder partnerships improve health of women, children, and adolescents

Globally, the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents are improving faster than at any point in history, even in the poorest nations.

19 Jul 2017

Measles outbreak - 35 reported deaths in Europe

Over the last 12 month, there have been 35 reported deaths due to the ongoing measles outbreak in the WHO European Region says a new report.

12 Jul 2017

Shingles raises the risk for heart attack and stroke

Persons who have had chicken pox are prone to develop shingles with the Herpes zoster virus that lays dormant within them. A new study has shown that getting shingles - a painful skin condition caused by the virus could also raise the risk of heart disease such as heart attacks and strokes in individuals. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Jul 2017

Study develops dissolvable microneedle patches for administering influenza vaccine

Study findings published online in The Lancet on June 27, 2017 have found that an experimental patch of dissolving microneedles can produce robust immune responses for influenza. The microneedle patches can be administered safely and can be a substitute for the needle-and-syringe vaccination. With further advancements, they could remove the uneasiness in using an injection and inconvenience of visiting a flu clinic, as well as offering cost benefits.

28 Jun 2017

Bandage-strip sized microneedle patches can transform flu vaccination method

A National Institutes of Health-funded study led by a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University has shown that an influenza vaccine can produce robust immune responses and be administered safely with an experimental patch of dissolving microneedles.

28 Jun 2017

Researchers evaluate trends in emergency room use and treatment costs for shingles

Shingles, a common infection of the nerves that causes a painful rash or small blisters on the skin, is caused by a reactivation of the chicken pox virus.

21 Jun 2017

Vaccines can be blamed for any illness even with lack of evidence says EU court

In a landmark judgment yesterday, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that courts could consider vaccines to be the reason for an illness despite the absence of any concrete evidence to support the connection.

21 Jun 2017

Survey finds parents to be least knowledgeable about invasive pneumococcal disease

Pfizer Inc., in partnership with Parents magazine, announced today the results of a national survey of more than 2,000 new and expectant parents assessing their knowledge of childhood infectious diseases, such as measles, whooping cough and invasive pneumococcal disease, and the measures parents can take to help prevent them.

14 Jun 2017

Researchers develop new strategy that can revolutionize HIV vaccine design

Vaccines are an essential tool for preventing and treating serious infectious diseases such as polio, chicken pox and measles. But so far it has not been possible to develop vaccines capable of contributing to the treatment and prevention of chronic infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.

17 May 2017

Serum Institute signs licensing agreement to commercialize St. Jude vaccine against RSV

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Serum Institute of India have signed a licensing agreement to complete development and commercialization of a St. Jude vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the virus that causes croup and lower respiratory infections. RSV kills about 160,000 people, primarily infants, worldwide each year.

10 May 2017

New study aims at making accessible epidemiological models for managing disease spread

A new computer modeling study from Los Alamos National Laboratory is aimed at making epidemiological models more accessible and useful for public health collaborators and improving disease-related decision making.

26 Apr 2017

Easier non-medical vaccine exemption policies linked to greater risk for measles outbreak

States with weaker non-medical exemption policies for vaccinations can reduce the likelihood of a measles outbreak 140 to 190 percent by strengthening them, a new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus shows.

21 Mar 2017

Study: More than ten million lives saved by discovery of cell strain in 1962

Nearly 200 million cases of polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, adenovirus, rabies and hepatitis A -- and approximately 450,000 deaths from these diseases -- were prevented in the U.S. alone between 1963 and 2015 by vaccination, researchers estimate.

3 Mar 2017

New article provides thought-provoking view on the rise of allergy, autoimmune diseases

This new feature article by Megan Scudellari is a well-researched, thought provoking view on the rise of allergy and autoimmune diseases and shows how, if looked at objectively, it’s obviously due to “much more than rampant cleanliness”.

17 Feb 2017

Parents can take eight steps to boost child's immunity, says family medicine specialist

No magic elixir can prevent children from developing occasional colds and viruses, but takings steps to boost their immune system can minimize their chances of catching every bug that winds its way through the daycare center or school.

3 Feb 2017

Most Americans believe preventive health benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh risks

Despite debate about the safety of childhood vaccines among some groups in the public, an overwhelming majority of Americans (82%) support requiring children attending public school to be vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

2 Feb 2017

NIH awards grant to UND study that focuses on early formation of cancer-causing viruses

The list is long. From the common cold and influenza to HIV and measles, and from Zika to some cancers, all are caused by viruses — tiny packages of either DNA or RNA that wear a protein coat.

31 Jan 2017

Jefferson researchers reveal new insight into two states of viral protein

To generate swarms of new viral particles, a virus hijacks a cell into producing masses of self-assembling cages that are then loaded with the genetic blueprint for the next infection.