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.

New microneedle patch simplifies measles vaccination

A new microneedle patch being developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could make it easier to vaccinate people against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

28 Apr 2015

PAML signs collaborative agreement with Axela

PAML announced today that the laboratory has entered into a collaborative agreement with Axela, Inc. to develop multiplex assays focused on immune status for vaccine preventable diseases. PAML is one of the nation's leading medical reference laboratories, and Axela focuses on multiplexed nucleic acid and protein analysis for clinical diagnostics.

28 Apr 2015

Researchers examine parents' attitudes regarding sending their child to daycare when they are unwell

Researchers from the University of Bristol have, for the first time, investigated the process of decision-making that parents go through when faced with this situation. The research, published in The Journal of Public Health, reports that parents viewed coughs and colds as less serious and not as contagious as sickness and diarrhoea symptoms.

27 Apr 2015

National Immunization Awareness Week launched by the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health

Today, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, and Dr. Gregory Taylor, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, launched National Immunization Awareness Week, which runs from April 25 to May 2. They encouraged Canadians to stay healthy by making sure their vaccinations are up to date.

27 Apr 2015

WHO: Progress towards global vaccination targets 'far off track'

Progress towards global vaccination targets for 2015 is far off track with 1 in 5 children still missing out on routine life-saving immunizations that could avert 1.5 million deaths each year from preventable diseases. In the lead-up to World Immunization Week 2015 (24 -30 April), the World Health Organization is calling for renewed efforts to get progress back on course.

24 Apr 2015

Study finds no association between MMR vaccine and increased risk of autism

In a study that included approximately 95,000 children with older siblings, receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), regardless of whether older siblings had ASD, findings that indicate no harmful association between receipt of MMR vaccine and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.

22 Apr 2015

New text message alert system helps parents remember child's vaccination appointments

Nearly a third of all children nationwide and in Kentucky aren't up-to-date with the vaccination schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but not because their parents are refusing vaccines. Evidence suggests parents tend to forget appointments when children are scheduled to receive immunizations.

16 Apr 2015

Public Health Agency of Canada issues statement on measles

The Public Health Agency of Canada is again reminding Canadians of the importance of ensuring their immunizations are up to date, following the confirmation of additional cases of measles in the Vancouver region.

8 Apr 2015

CHLA infectious diseases specialist discusses how parents can prevent measles outbreak

Since December, there have been more than 130 confirmed cases of measles in the state of California, most of them connected to an outbreak that originated in a Southern California amusement park. Many of the infected persons were not vaccinated against the extremely contagious virus, which manifests itself through rash, fever and coughing.

6 Apr 2015

Moon does not influence timing of human births, hospital admissions, says UCLA scientist

"It must be a full moon" is a common refrain when things appear more hectic than usual. The moon is even blamed when things get crazy at hospital emergency rooms or birth wards. "Some nurses ascribe the apparent chaos to the moon, but dozens of studies show that the belief is unfounded," said Jean-Luc Margot, a UCLA professor of planetary astronomy.

31 Mar 2015

WHO calls for intensification of routine immunization services in all Ebola-affected areas

A growing risk of outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases in countries affected by Ebola must be countered by urgent scaling up of routine immunization activities, according to the World Health Organization.

21 Mar 2015

New UNICEF report highlights urgency of reducing Ebola cases

Ebola has had a devastating impact on children, who make up about 20 per cent of infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. To protect them and their communities, it is critical to defeat this scourge, while working to restore basic services, UNICEF said in a report released today.

17 Mar 2015

Cyclone Pam: WHO coordinates response efforts to bring health support to cyclone-hit Vanuatu

The World Health Organization in the Western Pacific Region is coordinating response efforts with Vanuatu's Ministry of Health and other humanitarian partners to bring much-needed health support to the Pacific island country, following the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam.

17 Mar 2015

Inadequate vaccine coverage drives Disneyland measles outbreak

Inadequate vaccine coverage is likely a driving force behind the ongoing Disneyland measles outbreak, according to calculations by a research team at Boston Children's Hospital.

16 Mar 2015

60,000 children in need of immediate assistance after Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu; at least 72,000 out of school

With Tropical Cyclone Pam ripping through Vanuatu from late Friday night (13th March) into the early hours of Saturday morning, UNICEF Pacific reminds that 45% of the population is children and they are particularly vulnerable in any emergency.

16 Mar 2015

Study: Countries most affected by Ebola outbreak may soon have 100,000 more measles cases

An international study involving the University of Southampton suggests there could be a rise in measles cases of 100,000 across the three countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa due to health system disruptions.

16 Mar 2015

Ebola crisis increases susceptibility to measles, other vaccine-preventable illnesses

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers say that major disruptions in the health care systems in West Africa caused by the Ebola crisis have led to significant decreases in vaccinations for childhood diseases, increasing susceptibility to measles and other vaccine-preventable illnesses.

13 Mar 2015

Modified measles vaccine effective against Chikungunya virus, study finds

A modified, conventional measles vaccine has the potential to act against the Chikungunya virus. This is the result of a study at the University Clinic for Clinical Pharmacology of the MedUni Wien (Medical University of Vienna), which has now been published in the top journal "The Lancet Infectious Diseases".

2 Mar 2015

Researchers examine individuals' confidence or reluctance in vaccination decision-making

Researchers explore individuals' confidence or reluctance to vaccinate their families and the associated effects on global health, in a collection published on February 25, 2015 by the open-access journal, PLOS Currents: Outbreaks. The collection is accompanied by the editorial "Hesitancy, trust and individualism in vaccination decision-making" by Jonathan E. Suk et al. from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

26 Feb 2015

Virus that causes chicken pox and shingles linked to giant cell arteritis

A new study developed at the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus links the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles to a condition that inflames blood vessels on the temples and scalp in the elderly, called giant cell arteritis.

20 Feb 2015

Measles News and Research

Further Reading

New microneedle patch simplifies measles vaccination

PAML signs collaborative agreement with Axela

Researchers examine parents' attitudes regarding sending their child to daycare when they are unwell

National Immunization Awareness Week launched by the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health

WHO: Progress towards global vaccination targets 'far off track'

Study finds no association between MMR vaccine and increased risk of autism

New text message alert system helps parents remember child's vaccination appointments

Public Health Agency of Canada issues statement on measles

CHLA infectious diseases specialist discusses how parents can prevent measles outbreak

Moon does not influence timing of human births, hospital admissions, says UCLA scientist

WHO calls for intensification of routine immunization services in all Ebola-affected areas

New UNICEF report highlights urgency of reducing Ebola cases

Cyclone Pam: WHO coordinates response efforts to bring health support to cyclone-hit Vanuatu

Inadequate vaccine coverage drives Disneyland measles outbreak

60,000 children in need of immediate assistance after Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu; at least 72,000 out of school

Study: Countries most affected by Ebola outbreak may soon have 100,000 more measles cases

Ebola crisis increases susceptibility to measles, other vaccine-preventable illnesses

Modified measles vaccine effective against Chikungunya virus, study finds

Researchers examine individuals' confidence or reluctance in vaccination decision-making

Virus that causes chicken pox and shingles linked to giant cell arteritis

Lab Matters host Harriet Gould on building a more connected lab community

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