Measles News and Research

RSS

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.

Partnership between Wellcome Trust and Merck & Co

The Wellcome Trust and Merck & Co., Inc. today announced the creation of the MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories (www.hillemanlaboratories.in), the first of its kind research and development joint venture with a not-for-profit mission to focus on developing affordable vaccines to prevent diseases that commonly affect low-income countries.

18 Sep 2009

A not-for-profit mission from Wellcome Trust and Merck to develop affordable vaccines for low-income countries

17 Sep 2009

Urgent vaccine requirements for treating epidemic diseases voiced at ECI 2009

As a result of dominant media coverage of new epidemic threats such as swine influenza, other infection risks receive less public attention than they deserve. "We would like to bring to everybody's attention that the infectious diseases with the most severe consequences continue to be old acquaintances such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria and hepatitis C. About six million people worldwide die of these diseases every year," says Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, at the 2nd European Congress of Immunology ECI 2009.

16 Sep 2009

FFF stress the importance of seasonal flu vaccination in children

Families Fighting Flu (FFF) reminds parents today to get their children vaccinated against the seasonal flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children six months through 18 years of age get a seasonal flu vaccination each year.

11 Sep 2009

Under-five mortality rate continues to decline

UNICEF today released new figures that show the rate of deaths of children under five years of age continued to decline in 2008.

11 Sep 2009

UNICEF data shows global child mortality now below 9m, progress not enough to achieve MDG in most regions

The annual number of deaths among children younger than five worldwide "has fallen below nine million" compared with 12.5 million in 1990, according to new data from UNICEF, the New York Times reports. "That's 10,000 less children dying per day," Ann Veneman, UNICEF's executive director, said.

10 Sep 2009

South East Asian ministers gather at WHO regional meeting

South East Asian health ministers met on Monday in Kathmandu, Nepal, for their 27th meeting during the 62nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for South East Asia, Republica reports.

9 Sep 2009

Also in global health news: Africa measles eradication; water, food security in South Asia; MDR-TB in Mumbai; SADC summit; U.S. Cuba embargo

WHO Regional Director for Africa Luis Gomes Sambo said Tuesday during the 59th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, that measles could be eradicated from the continent by 2020, citing an 89 percent reduction in the number of deaths caused by measles between 2000 and 2007, Angencia AngolaPress reports.

4 Sep 2009

CDC recommends routine health examintion for all school-age children

Although school has just begun, it is already exam time for students throughout Wisconsin. That's because in addition to notebook paper and pens, back-to-school preparations should also include routine health exams to make sure students are healthy and ready to learn. These include: a doctor's exam to confirm that all immunizations are up-to-date, a dental exam and a vision exam.

3 Sep 2009

Insecticide-treated bed nets prevent infant deaths from malaria

Giving insecticide-treated bed nets to nearly 18,000 mothers at prenatal clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo prevented an estimated 414 infant deaths from malaria, a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers concludes.

3 Sep 2009

European Medicines Agency validates Schering-Plough's MAA for nomegestrol acetate/17 beta-estradiol

Schering-Plough Corporation, (NYSE: SGP), today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has validated (accepted for review) the company's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for a fixed-dose combination of mometasone furoate and formoterol fumarate for the maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.

27 Aug 2009

UT Southwestern awarded $763,000 as grant to expand studies of Peregrine's anti-PS antibodies

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) today announced that the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a two-year, $763,000 grant to Philip Thorpe, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for research expanding its studies of anti-phosphatidylserine (anti-PS) antibodies as potential treatments for viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) infections.

26 Aug 2009

Retigabine's Phase IIa clinical trial preliminary results announced

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International today announced preliminary results from its Phase IIa proof-of-concept clinical trial of retigabine for the treatment of pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a painful and common complication of shingles.

24 Aug 2009

The Gambia introduces pneumococcal immunisation programme

The Gambia, Minister of Health Dr. Mariatou Jallow administered the first dose of the pneumococcal vaccine to Gambian children at a rural clinic outside Banjul today. Joined by the Gambia’s Vice President, Mrs. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Dr. Jallow and hundreds of Gambian citizens celebrated this historic event, which marks the first step in the rollout of the Gambia’s national pneumococcal immunisation programme.

19 Aug 2009

Inhibitex reports Q2 2009 financials

Inhibitex, Inc. (Nasdaq: INHX), today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009. The Company held cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $24.5 million at June 30, 2009, as compared to $33.1 million at December 31, 2008.

12 Aug 2009

Parents need immunizations too!

Texas schoolchildren must be current on their immunizations before going back to class this fall, but it may have been decades since some of their parents have had a vaccination. August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and UnitedHealthcare wants to remind adults that immunizations are not just for children.

10 Aug 2009

Discovery of potential candidate protein for cancer vaccines

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have learned that some healthy people naturally developed an immune response against a protein that is made in excess levels in many cancers, including breast, lung, and head and neck cancers. The finding suggests that a vaccine against the protein might prevent malignancies in high-risk individuals.

4 Aug 2009

Washington Post examines health toll of Congo conflict

The Washington Post examines the devastating toll the conflict in the Congo has had on the health of the country's displaced civilians, as told through the death of a 36-year-old farmer, who succumbed to typhoid fever far away from the home he abandoned.

3 Aug 2009

U.N. program has little effect in reducing deaths among children in Bangladesh, study finds

"The U.N. unveiled a multimillion dollar strategy a dozen years ago to save children worldwide, but a new [Lancet] study has found the program had surprisingly little effect in Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries," the Associated Press reports.

31 Jul 2009

Asian pneumonia prevention organization calls for required pneumonia vaccine in India

The Asian Strategic Alliance for Pneumococcal Disease Prevention (ASAP) is calling for the pneumonia vaccine to become an official part of India's required list of immunizations, the Times of India reports.

28 Jul 2009