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.

GAVI to purchase $1 billion in childhood vaccines for distribution in 37 of the poorest nations

The Geneva-based GAVI Alliance, a fund backed by governments, the World Bank, the WHO and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday that it will purchase more than $1 billion in vaccines against rotavirus, pneumococcal and other diseases through deals made with GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. to immunize children in 37 of the poorest nations, Bloomberg reports.

28 Sep 2011

Global health blunders can lend useful lessons

New York Times reporter Lawrence Altman recounts his experience in the mid-1960s with a measles immunization campaign in Upper Volta during his time with the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the CDC in a "Doctor's World" perspective piece in the newspaper. Altman says that although the effort to expand the immunization campaign from a small field trial to a regional program "failed miserably," the "lessons learned from these blunders led to a new program that wiped out smallpox, still the only human disease to have been eradicated from the planet."

28 Sep 2011

Study identifies genetic mutations that affect immune response to measles vaccination

Researchers at Mayo Clinic are hacking the genetic code that controls the human response to disease vaccination, and they are using this new cipher to answer many of the deep-seated questions that plague vaccinology, including why patients respond so differently to identical vaccines and how to minimize the side effects to vaccination.

23 Sep 2011

Twenty aid agencies issue open letter urging international community to change approach in Somalia

Twenty aid agencies on Wednesday issued an open letter "urging the international community to change its approach to Somalia 'and enhance diplomatic engagement with the parties to the conflict, to ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid,'" particularly before the rainy season brings the threat of disease, IRIN reports.

23 Sep 2011

New UTHealth toll-free helpline for pregnant women to avoid dangerous medications

A new toll-free helpline developed to help pregnant women avoid medications and other substances that can cause birth defects has been launched by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

20 Sep 2011

New York Times examines international response to Somali famine

"Twenty years after the central government collapsed," Somalia is facing drought, food insecurity and conflict larger in scale than when famine conditions hit the nation in the 1990s, "[a]nd given the world's limited interest in a major intervention, that is not likely to change anytime soon," the New York Times reports in a news analysis on the situation.

17 Sep 2011

Supplement in USA Today highlights global NTD eradication efforts

This supplement (.pdf) by Mediaplanet, distributed in the September 15 issue of USA Today in select cities nationwide, examines the latest programs dedicated to eradicating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) worldwide.

17 Sep 2011

Georgia reminds adults to get vaccinated

Vaccines aren't just for kids, adults need protection too! September 18 kick starts National Adult Immunization Awareness Week and the Georgia Department of Public Health reminds Georgians that you never outgrow the need for vaccines.

16 Sep 2011

“Contagion” movie entirely plausible

Hollywood's latest thriller “Contagion” seems to have captured the public’s interest with strong sales at the box office. In the movie tens of millions of people are wiped out by the rapid spread of a killer airborne disease. It's a scenario real-life experts say is entirely plausible.

14 Sep 2011

U.N. declares famine in sixth region of Somalia, expresses concern over spread of disease

The U.N. "announced Monday that Somalia's famine had spread to a sixth area within the country, with officials warning that 750,000 people could die in the next few months unless aid efforts were scaled up," the New York Times reports.

7 Sep 2011

UNFPA Executive Director to visit refugee camps in Kenya on 3 September

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is visiting refugee camps in Kenya to underscore the urgent needs of women affected by the famine in the Horn of Africa.

3 Sep 2011

Progress in reducing child mortality rates at Somalia, Ethiopia border refugee camps is slow, U.S. official says

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Reuben Brigety, "the top U.S. official for refugee issues, ... says that despite intensive efforts, relief agencies have made little progress in reducing child mortality rates at refugee camps along Somalia's border with Ethiopia," VOA News reports.

3 Sep 2011

Vitamin A supplements could save the lives of 600,000 children a year, researchers say

"Giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing countries could save 600,000 lives a year, researchers claim" in a paper published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, BBC News reports.

30 Aug 2011

Vitamin A supplements in children could save up to 600,000 lives a year: Study

Researchers have found that giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing countries could save up to 600,000 lives a year. Writing in the British Medical Journal, UK and Pakistani experts assessed 43 studies involving 200,000 children, and found deaths were cut by 24% if children were given the vitamin. They add that it would also cut rates of measles and diarrhea.

30 Aug 2011

Autism link to vaccines dispelled by a large review of studies

According to a report issued by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM), vaccines are largely safe, and do not cause autism or diabetes. This conclusion followed a review of more than 1,000 published research studies.

26 Aug 2011

IOM report: Vaccines generally safe, no link to autism

Vaccines can cause certain side effects but serious ones appear very rare -; and there's no link with autism and Type 1 diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says in the first comprehensive safety review in 17 years. The report released Thursday isn't aimed at nervous parents. And the side effects it lists as proven are some that doctors long have known about, such as fever-caused seizures and occasional brain inflammation.

26 Aug 2011

IOM report: Few health problems are clearly associated with vaccines

An analysis of more than 1,000 research articles concluded that few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines.

26 Aug 2011

Measles exposure in Philadelphia and Lancaster counties

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are advising the public of exposure to a case of measles in Lancaster and Philadelphia counties.

24 Aug 2011

White House holds call to discuss famine in the Horn of Africa

A post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog highlights a White House call "with faith-based organizations Wednesday afternoon to discuss efforts in the Horn of Africa to combat the extensive famine brought on by a severe drought in the region, the worst seen in decades."

20 Aug 2011

U.K., Islamic countries pledge additional funds for famine aid in Somalia

During a visit to the Somali capital of Mogadishu, U.K. International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell on Wednesday pledged an additional $41.5 million in aid to Somalia, to be distributed through UNICEF, BBC News reports.

19 Aug 2011

Measles News and Research

Further Reading

GAVI to purchase $1 billion in childhood vaccines for distribution in 37 of the poorest nations

Global health blunders can lend useful lessons

Study identifies genetic mutations that affect immune response to measles vaccination

Twenty aid agencies issue open letter urging international community to change approach in Somalia

New UTHealth toll-free helpline for pregnant women to avoid dangerous medications

New York Times examines international response to Somali famine

Supplement in USA Today highlights global NTD eradication efforts

Georgia reminds adults to get vaccinated

“Contagion” movie entirely plausible

U.N. declares famine in sixth region of Somalia, expresses concern over spread of disease

UNFPA Executive Director to visit refugee camps in Kenya on 3 September

Progress in reducing child mortality rates at Somalia, Ethiopia border refugee camps is slow, U.S. official says

Vitamin A supplements could save the lives of 600,000 children a year, researchers say

Vitamin A supplements in children could save up to 600,000 lives a year: Study

Autism link to vaccines dispelled by a large review of studies

IOM report: Vaccines generally safe, no link to autism

IOM report: Few health problems are clearly associated with vaccines

Measles exposure in Philadelphia and Lancaster counties

White House holds call to discuss famine in the Horn of Africa

U.K., Islamic countries pledge additional funds for famine aid in Somalia

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