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.

Leeds project aims to boost parents' confidence in MMR choices as measles rates rise

With several hundred thousand unvaccinated children across the UK, health protection experts are hoping that new research at the University of Leeds will give parents better information about the MMR vaccine and lead to an increase in immunisation.

27 Jul 2008

Worsening malnutrition and the threat of disease add to crisis in Ethiopia

Worsening malnutrition and the threat of disease outbreaks are compounding Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis. WHO is working with the Government of Ethiopia and health partners to support the 4.6 million people needing urgent emergency food relief nationwide.

13 Jul 2008

New understanding of how herpes simplex virus 1 hides during inactive phase

Now that Duke University Medical Center scientists have figured out how the virus that causes cold sores hides out, they may have a way to wake it up and kill it.

3 Jul 2008

FDA approves Kinrix - combination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio diseases in one shot

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Kinrix [Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine], the first combination vaccine to offer protection against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio diseases in one shot.

24 Jun 2008

Measles making a comeback in the U.S.

The rise in the number of measles cases in the U.S. is concerning health authorities who fear the disease is making a comeback after a decade of being eradicated.

11 Jun 2008

Role of breastfeeding in preventing infant death, HIV infection in developing countries

In many poor countries, mothers with HIV face a stark choice: to nurse their infants, and risk passing on HIV through their breast milk - or to formula feed, and deprive their infants of much of the natural immunity needed to protect against fatal diseases of early infancy. Now, two studies supported by the National Institutes of Health offer insights into preventing early death and HIV infection among breastfeeding infants of mothers with HIV in these countries.

5 Jun 2008

US$28 million needed for Myanmar says WHO

WHO and its Health Cluster partners in Myanmar have launched a six-month and US$ 28 million action plan to provide immediate health care for cyclone survivors and to support longer-term efforts to rebuild the country's ravaged health system.

30 May 2008

Emergency measures employed to stop measles epidemic

Emergency measures are being adopted in Britain to tackle the escalating numbers of new measles cases.

22 May 2008

Population affected by cyclone in Burma/Myanmar

As many as 3.2 million Burmese are estimated to be affected by the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, according to geographic risk models developed by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Lehman College, CUNY.

14 May 2008

New plan says no vaccination no school

New proposals by Britain's Labour government will see children banned from starting primary school unless they have been vaccinated.

12 May 2008

Enterovirus 71 in China claims the lives of two more children

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a virus that has killed 24 young children and infected more than 5,000 could continue to spread regardless of efforts to contain it.

5 May 2008

CDC says one in four children are out of compliance with U.S. vaccination guidelines

Your toddler might be improperly vaccinated, even if she's had every immunization the government recommends, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

29 Apr 2008

Viruses may play a role in lung cancer development

Papers presented at the 1st European Lung Cancer Conference, jointly organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Geneva, Switzerland highlight emerging evidence that common viruses may contribute to the development of lung cancer.

26 Apr 2008