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.

ADMA Biologics initiates enrollment in RI-002 Phase III study for PIDD

ADMA Biologics, Inc. (ADMA), a specialty immune globulin company that develops, manufactures and intends to market plasma-based biologics for the treatment and prevention of certain infectious diseases, announced that the first patient enrolled in the pivotal Phase III clinical study of its RI-002 has been dosed.

7 Mar 2013

Significant link between defective viruses and increased rate of transmission of major disease

Defective viruses, thought for decades to be essentially garbage unrelated to the transmission of normal viruses, now appear able to play an important role in the spread of disease, new research by UCLA life scientists indicates.

2 Mar 2013

Measles epidemic affecting tens of thousands of children in DRC, MSF warns

"A measles epidemic has affected tens of thousands of children in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), overwhelming health facilities, says medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)," IRIN reports.

2 Mar 2013

India needs political leadership, resources to ensure children's right to health

"India is making positive strides in reducing child mortality through new policies and ambitious programs, but preventing the deaths of millions of children remains one of the country's greatest challenges," health expert and blogger John Butler writes in the Wall Street Journals "India Real Time" blog, noting, "Roughly 1.7 million children under five years old die every year in India, says UNICEF, representing more than a fifth of all child deaths worldwide."

2 Mar 2013

Rwanda to roll out combined measles-rubella vaccination campaign

"Rwanda has been so successful at fighting measles that next month it will be the first country to get donor support to move to the next stage -- fighting rubella too," the New York Times reports.

27 Feb 2013

Govs brace for impact of scheduled cuts in home states

The nation's governors met in Washington over the weekend, and among their hottest topics: a White House warning regarding the state-by-state impact of sequestration, which is scheduled to kick in March 1.

26 Feb 2013

Vaccine prices and availability: an interview with Kate Elder, Vaccines Policy Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières's Access Campaign

One of the key reasons why children are missed by immunization programs, particularly in developing countries where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works, is that the products that we currently have in their present formulation are not well-suited to the places that have the most un-immunized children. These are the most challenging contexts to work in.

19 Feb 2013

Santarus launches UCERIS for induction of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis

Santarus, Inc. announced today the U.S. commercial launch of UCERIS (budesonide) extended release tablets for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.

14 Feb 2013

Bill Gates answers questions on global health, other issues in Reddit 'ask me anything' discussion

"Former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates did a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) Monday and discussed several important global health issues," the Global Dispatch reports.

13 Feb 2013

Measles: an interview with Dr. Robert Perry, World Health Organization

Measles is a disease marked by fever, rash, and cold symptoms (red eyes, cough, runny nose) that results in a temporary suppression of the immune system and a drop in vitamin A levels.

4 Feb 2013

Common myths about flu from Mayo Clinic

It seems you can't go anywhere these days without hearing "the flu this" or "the flu that." Unfortunately, this season's influenza outbreak is one of the worst in years. And it's not just the flu virus that's causing problems; there are also many myths about the flu that are keeping people from doing more to prevent it.

29 Jan 2013

High vaccine prices ignored by ‘Decade of Vaccines’ blueprint

Governments meeting at the World Health Organization’s Executive Board (WHO EB) this week must seize the opportunity to improve serious shortcomings in the document that will drive the global community’s vaccines response in the next few years. If they fail to do so, key reasons why children continue to be missed by immunisation programmes will be left unaddressed.

25 Jan 2013

WHO reports significant decrease in measles deaths over past decade but warns large outbreaks in certain regions jeopardize progress

"While the number of measles deaths around the world has significantly decreased over the past decade, large outbreaks in certain regions are jeopardizing progress, the United Nations health agency said [Thursday], adding that improved vaccination rates are critical to eliminate the disease," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 Jan 2013

92% of voters surveyed favor U.S. support of WHO, Better World Campaign poll shows

A new poll released on Wednesday by the Better World Campaign (BWC) "found that 61 percent of voters see the WHO favorably and 92 percent say the United States should continue contributing money to the agency," The Hill's "Healthwatch" blog reports.

18 Jan 2013

WHO finds decline in number of measles deaths between 2000 and 2011

The number of measles deaths globally decreased by 71% between 2000 and 2011, from 542 000 to 158 000. Over the same period, new cases dropped 58% from 853 500 in 2000 to 355 000 in 2011, according to new data released Thursday by WHO, a leading member of the Measles and Rubella Initiative.

18 Jan 2013

Experts blame lack of immunization coverage for Pakistan's measles outbreak

In 2012, measles "claimed the lives of more than 300 children in Pakistan," with more than 200 of those deaths from Sindh province, and health experts and the WHO are saying "the huge difference in routine immunization coverage between the provinces, districts and cities is at the root of the measles outbreak," Inter Press Service reports.

16 Jan 2013

FDA approves Santarus’ UCERIS for induction of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis

Santarus, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved UCERIS (budesonide) extended release tablets for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.

16 Jan 2013

Pakistan re-launches polio vaccination campaign amid increased security

"Pakistan's ambassador for polio eradication, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, re-launched the anti-polio campaign in Sindh province on Tuesday," Pakistan Today reports.

11 Jan 2013

Pakistan records 306 measles cases in 2012, compared with 64 in 2011, WHO reports

"Measles cases surged in Pakistan in 2012, and hundreds of children died from the disease, an international health body said Tuesday," the Associated Press/CBS News reports. "A spokeswoman for the World Health Organization, Maryam Yunus, said that 306 children died in Pakistan of measles in 2012, compared to 64 the year before," the news agency writes.

4 Jan 2013

Global Burden of Disease Study finds people worldwide living longer, but with more illness, disability

"A sharp decline in deaths from malnutrition and infectious diseases like measles and tuberculosis has caused a shift in global mortality patterns over the past 20 years, according to a study released on Thursday, with far more of the world's population now living into old age and dying from diseases mostly associated with rich countries, like cancer and heart disease," the New York Times reports.

15 Dec 2012

Measles News and Research

Further Reading

ADMA Biologics initiates enrollment in RI-002 Phase III study for PIDD

Significant link between defective viruses and increased rate of transmission of major disease

Measles epidemic affecting tens of thousands of children in DRC, MSF warns

India needs political leadership, resources to ensure children's right to health

Rwanda to roll out combined measles-rubella vaccination campaign

Govs brace for impact of scheduled cuts in home states

Vaccine prices and availability: an interview with Kate Elder, Vaccines Policy Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières's Access Campaign

Santarus launches UCERIS for induction of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis

Bill Gates answers questions on global health, other issues in Reddit 'ask me anything' discussion

Measles: an interview with Dr. Robert Perry, World Health Organization

Common myths about flu from Mayo Clinic

High vaccine prices ignored by ‘Decade of Vaccines’ blueprint

WHO reports significant decrease in measles deaths over past decade but warns large outbreaks in certain regions jeopardize progress

92% of voters surveyed favor U.S. support of WHO, Better World Campaign poll shows

WHO finds decline in number of measles deaths between 2000 and 2011

Experts blame lack of immunization coverage for Pakistan's measles outbreak

FDA approves Santarus’ UCERIS for induction of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis

Pakistan re-launches polio vaccination campaign amid increased security

Pakistan records 306 measles cases in 2012, compared with 64 in 2011, WHO reports

Global Burden of Disease Study finds people worldwide living longer, but with more illness, disability

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News