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.

130 million children to be immunised against pneumonia

Marking the first international World Pneumonia Day on 2 November, the GAVI Alliance plans to immunise 130 million children in poor countries against pneumonia, the world's leading child killer.

30 Oct 2009

Vaccination rates need improvement; racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination coverage

More teenagers are being vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal meningitis and pertussis (whooping cough), though the rates are still too low, according to recently released government data and a panel of experts convened by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

27 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"The spread of dengue virus throughout the tropics represents a major, rapidly growing public health problem with an estimated 2.5 billion people at risk of dengue fever and the life-threatening disease, severe dengue," write the authors of a Lancet Infectious Diseases review that examines what is known about the virus and progress in the development of a dengue vaccine (Webster et. al, 11/09).

24 Oct 2009

News outlets examine challenges with expanding global child immunization campaigns

Wednesday's release of the WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank joint report on childhood vaccines highlighted gains in recent global vaccination campaigns and also found that nearly 24 million infants worldwide don't get the recommended first-year vaccination.

23 Oct 2009

Merck's sales increases by 2% in third quarter 2009

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2009. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter of $0.90, which excludes a $1.7 billion after-tax gain from the sale of the company's interest in Merial Limited as well as restructuring charges and pre-closing merger-related expenses. Third-quarter GAAP EPS was $1.61.

22 Oct 2009

More infants are being immunized but funding gap leaves millions of children still at risk

Reversing a downward trend, immunization rates are now at their highest ever and vaccine development worldwide is booming, according to a new assessment released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the World Bank.

22 Oct 2009

106m infants worldwide received vaccines last year, coverage gaps remain, report says

A joint report by the WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank on worldwide vaccination efforts released Wednesday found "a record 106 million infants were vaccinated last year against life-threatening diseases, but nearly a fifth of the world's babies still are not protected fully," the Associated Press reports.

22 Oct 2009

Opinions: HIV vaccine; HIV resources help promote global disease control; U.S. fight against world hunger

Seth Berkley, president and chief executive of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, in a New York Times opinion piece examines how the "pessimism" over the recent controversy surrounding the results of an experimental HIV vaccine tested in Thailand "may ultimately thwart other efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine.

20 Oct 2009

WHO, UNICEF publish plan to reduce childhood diarrhea deaths

The WHO and UNICEF have released a seven-point treatment and prevention plan to reduce the number of children around the world who die from diarrhea, the BBC reports (10/14). BMJ News writes, "Every year 1.5 million children aged under 5 years die from diarrhoea, more than 80% of them in Africa and south Asia" (Zarocostas, 10/14).

19 Oct 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center awarded $15.7M NIH contract to develop a new virus database

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $15.7 million contract to UT Southwestern Medical Center and Northrop Grumman Corp. to develop an open-access national online database and analysis resource center that will help scientists study and combat viruses such as those that cause hepatitis, encephalitis, smallpox, acute respiratory distress and dengue fever, as well as newly emerging pathogenic viruses.

15 Oct 2009

Research rules out link between MMR vaccines and autism

A new article recently published in the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing explored vaccination history, vaccine safety monitoring systems in the U.S., and the two most publicized theoretical vaccine-related exposures associated with autism - the vaccine preservative thimerosal and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

9 Oct 2009

U.N. appeals for $74m to provide emergency assistance in the Philippines; health-effects of other natural disasters

The U.N. on Tuesday launched an appeal for $74 million "to provide emergency assistance to hundreds of thousands of victims of two catastrophic typhoons that have struck the Philippines in less than two weeks," VOA News reports (Schlein, 10/6).

8 Oct 2009

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals establishes a new Anti-Viral Research Group

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has established a new Anti-Viral Research Group in its R&D organization.

7 Oct 2009

High mortality rates may play a role in the evolution of human body size

A new study suggests that high mortality rates in small-bodied people, commonly known as pygmies, may be part of the reason for their small stature. The study, by Jay Stock and Andrea Migliano, both of the University of Cambridge, helps unravel the mystery of how small-bodied people got that way.

6 Oct 2009

Also in global health news: Tanzania's development initiatives; disease surveillance in West Africa; water, sanitation in Kenya, Malawi; doctor fights Lassa fever

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Tuesday commended Tanazanian President Jakaya Kikwete on the country's utilization of U.S. aid money and vowed her support for the country's future development projects, during a meeting in Washington, D.C., the Zimbabwean reports. "Pelosi hailed President Kikwete and his government for the commitment demonstrated by the campaigns against HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB and implementation of MCC programmes," the newspaper writes (Kulekana, 9/30).

1 Oct 2009

AAPS Annual Meeting to discuss new research and technologies in pharmaceutical sciences

More than 8,500 individuals from the field of pharmaceutical research are expected to attend this year's AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition November 8 - 12, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.

29 Sep 2009

New measles vaccination methods to reduce costs and improve safety

Worldwide, there are estimated to be 10 million cases of measles and 197,000 deaths from the disease each year. While vaccines exist to protect children against measles, the vaccines are often difficult to store, costly to transport and may be prone to contamination when shipped to developing countries.

29 Sep 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

A study appearing in the Journal of Infectious Diseases explores how well access to safe drinking water reduces rates of diarrhea experienced by 6-month-old infants born to HIV-infected mothers following weaning.

25 Sep 2009

British Prime Minister to unveil $1b effort to improve health systems in developing countries

During the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday is scheduled to announce that Britain is teaming up with Norway, the Netherlands and Australia to invest $1 billion to strengthen the health systems in developing countries, the Financial Times/NineMSN reports (Jack, 9/21).

23 Sep 2009

Kenya to launch measles vaccine campaign

The Kenya Ministry of Public Health on Saturday will launch a $1.8 million measles vaccination campaign targeting "1.3 million children who have not been vaccinated against the disease since July 2006," Business Daily Africa reports.

21 Sep 2009

Measles News and Research

Further Reading

130 million children to be immunised against pneumonia

Vaccination rates need improvement; racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination coverage

Recent releases in Global Health

News outlets examine challenges with expanding global child immunization campaigns

Merck's sales increases by 2% in third quarter 2009

More infants are being immunized but funding gap leaves millions of children still at risk

106m infants worldwide received vaccines last year, coverage gaps remain, report says

Opinions: HIV vaccine; HIV resources help promote global disease control; U.S. fight against world hunger

WHO, UNICEF publish plan to reduce childhood diarrhea deaths

UT Southwestern Medical Center awarded $15.7M NIH contract to develop a new virus database

Research rules out link between MMR vaccines and autism

U.N. appeals for $74m to provide emergency assistance in the Philippines; health-effects of other natural disasters

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals establishes a new Anti-Viral Research Group

High mortality rates may play a role in the evolution of human body size

Also in global health news: Tanzania's development initiatives; disease surveillance in West Africa; water, sanitation in Kenya, Malawi; doctor fights Lassa fever

AAPS Annual Meeting to discuss new research and technologies in pharmaceutical sciences

New measles vaccination methods to reduce costs and improve safety

Recent releases in Global Health

British Prime Minister to unveil $1b effort to improve health systems in developing countries

Kenya to launch measles vaccine campaign

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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