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.

Obama announces $100M in aid for Haitian earthquake recovery

At the White House on Thursday, President Barack Obama "promised $100 million along with more American troops for the relief effort in Haiti, vowing that the United States would stand with the impoverished nation as it grappled with the devastation of its capital city," the New York Times reports.

18 Jan 2010

Aid begins flowing into Haiti, up to 3m may be affected

"Aid started flowing into Haiti Wednesday in the wake of the earthquake that slammed the impoverished nation late Tuesday afternoon," CNN reports. "One of two [U.S] military cargo planes carrying a 30-man assessment team arrived at Port-au-Prince airport Wednesday evening to assess Haiti's needs."

17 Jan 2010

H1N1 can spread during commercial flights; avoid economy and fly first class, UCLA researchers say

Viruses love plane travel. They get to fly around the world inside a closed container while their infected carrier breathes and coughs, spreading pathogens to other passengers, either by direct contact or through the air. And once people deplane, the virus can spread to other geographical areas.

8 Jan 2010

Children’s vaccination coverage rises substantially in U.S.

About three-quarters of U.S. children received recommended vaccinations in 2008, up from about half in 2000, reports a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

5 Jan 2010

BDI Pharma introduces SecuriVAX for online ordering of vaccines

BDI Pharma, Inc. (BDI), the fastest growing national distributor of biotech therapies, announced today the introduction of SecuriVAX(SM) (www.securivax.com), an online supply solution providing the healthcare community a one-stop source for a wide variety of vaccines.

18 Dec 2009

Chicken pox vaccine also reduces risk of herpes zoster in children

Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is very rare among children who have been vaccinated against chicken pox, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the December issue of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal.

5 Dec 2009

Measles deaths decline worldwide by 78%, experts warn against complacency

Measles deaths fell from 733,000 in 2000 to 164,000 in 2008 - 78 percent - thanks, in part, to increased vaccination efforts that reached an estimated 700 million children, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S.-based Measles Initiative, Reuters reports.

4 Dec 2009

Several new vaccines require booster shots to remain effective during a lifetime: Study

Preventing disease is the goal of every health care provider and fortunately every year, new vaccines are being added to assist in disease prevention. But do all vaccines boost immunity for the same period of time? And, if not, when are additional 'booster shots' needed to keep immunity strong?

24 Nov 2009

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

A special edition of UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children report, released 20 years after the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, shows that "fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school - but an estimated 1 billion still lack services essential to their survival and development," the Associated Press reports.

20 Nov 2009

WHO to launch yellow fever vaccination campaign in West Africa

The WHO on Tuesday announced it would lead a week-long, multi-country vaccination campaign in Africa next week to protect those "deemed at highest risk from yellow fever," Reuters reports.

19 Nov 2009

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

The Wall Street Journal examines "big pharma's growing interest in a corner of healthcare - emerging-market inoculations," in light of a recent move by Novartis to purchase an 85 percent stake in the Chinese vaccine maker Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. In the summer, drug maker Sanofi-Aventis SA made a similar move to acquire a majority stake in India's Shantha Biotechnics, the newspaper notes.

6 Nov 2009

USPTO awards Peregrine Pharmaceuticals patent for anti-viral uses of phosphatidylserine targeting antibodies

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent Number 7,611,704, which includes broad claims covering anti-viral uses of phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting antibodies including Peregrine's lead clinical compound, bavituximab. PS is a unique marker exposed on the surface of virally infected cells that can be targeted to treat a broad spectrum of virus infections.

5 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health News: Childhood vaccines; USAID administrator; Pakistan polio fight; UNICEF fundraising; measles in India

As a follow-up to the release of the State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization by the WHO, UNICEF and World Bank last month, The International examines the findings that "despite child vaccinations hitting a record-high with about 106 million infants being immunised this year, life-saving vaccines fail to reach some 24 million children in 72 of the world's poorest countries," many of whom, "are estimated to be most at risk from vaccine-preventable diseases," the publication writes.

4 Nov 2009

News outlets examine first World Pneumonia Day

To mark the first World Pneumonia Day, Inter Press Service examines how vaccines and other strategies can be used to combat the disease, which kills more children under age 5 each year "than measles, malaria, and AIDS combined, according to the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia."

4 Nov 2009

Aethlon Medical begins collaborative biomarker program to study neurodegenerative disease

Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AEMD) announced today that it has initiated a collaborative biomarker discovery program with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University School of Medicine and the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI).

3 Nov 2009

Washington Post examines role of USAID's Richard Greene

As part of its ongoing "Federal Player of the Week" series with the Partnership for Public Service, the Washington Post examines the role of Richard Greene, the head of USAID's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition in the Bureau of Global Health.

2 Nov 2009

Sanofi Pasteur presents Menactra vaccine safety data at the IDSA

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, presented Safety of a Quadrivalent (A,C,Y,W-135) Meningococcal Vaccine When Given to Infants with Other Pediatric Vaccines at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) this past weekend.

2 Nov 2009

Global health organizations observe World Pneumonia Day; urge governments to take steps to fight pneumonia

Nearly 100 leading global health organizations from around the world joined forces to recognize the first-annual World Pneumonia Day on November 2 and urge governments to take steps to fight pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of young children.

2 Nov 2009

Women may need smaller dose of H1N1 vaccine

THE emergence of the H1N1 swine flu has added urgency to what has become an annual ritual for millions of Americans: getting a flu shot. The good news is that scientists have developed a vaccine against the H1N1 virus. But it is taking much longer than expected to produce the hundreds of millions of doses the government had planned to distribute. And it is still too soon to know how effective the vaccine will be in preventing swine flu.

31 Oct 2009

New York Times examines debate over U.S. global health spending priorities

The New York Times examines the "debate over whether the United States and other rich nations spend too much on AIDS, which requires lifelong medications, compared with diarrhea and the other leading killer of children, pneumonia, both of which can be treated inexpensively."

30 Oct 2009

Measles News and Research

Further Reading

Obama announces $100M in aid for Haitian earthquake recovery

Aid begins flowing into Haiti, up to 3m may be affected

H1N1 can spread during commercial flights; avoid economy and fly first class, UCLA researchers say

Children’s vaccination coverage rises substantially in U.S.

BDI Pharma introduces SecuriVAX for online ordering of vaccines

Chicken pox vaccine also reduces risk of herpes zoster in children

Measles deaths decline worldwide by 78%, experts warn against complacency

Several new vaccines require booster shots to remain effective during a lifetime: Study

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

WHO to launch yellow fever vaccination campaign in West Africa

Walls Street journal examines big pharma's 'growing interest' in emerging-market vaccine development, production

USPTO awards Peregrine Pharmaceuticals patent for anti-viral uses of phosphatidylserine targeting antibodies

Also in Global Health News: Childhood vaccines; USAID administrator; Pakistan polio fight; UNICEF fundraising; measles in India

News outlets examine first World Pneumonia Day

Aethlon Medical begins collaborative biomarker program to study neurodegenerative disease

Washington Post examines role of USAID's Richard Greene

Sanofi Pasteur presents Menactra vaccine safety data at the IDSA

Global health organizations observe World Pneumonia Day; urge governments to take steps to fight pneumonia

Women may need smaller dose of H1N1 vaccine

New York Times examines debate over U.S. global health spending priorities

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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