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.

“Contagion” movie entirely plausible

Hollywood's latest thriller “Contagion” seems to have captured the public’s interest with strong sales at the box office. In the movie tens of millions of people are wiped out by the rapid spread of a killer airborne disease. It's a scenario real-life experts say is entirely plausible.

14 Sep 2011

U.N. declares famine in sixth region of Somalia, expresses concern over spread of disease

The U.N. "announced Monday that Somalia's famine had spread to a sixth area within the country, with officials warning that 750,000 people could die in the next few months unless aid efforts were scaled up," the New York Times reports.

7 Sep 2011

UNFPA Executive Director to visit refugee camps in Kenya on 3 September

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is visiting refugee camps in Kenya to underscore the urgent needs of women affected by the famine in the Horn of Africa.

3 Sep 2011

Progress in reducing child mortality rates at Somalia, Ethiopia border refugee camps is slow, U.S. official says

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Reuben Brigety, "the top U.S. official for refugee issues, ... says that despite intensive efforts, relief agencies have made little progress in reducing child mortality rates at refugee camps along Somalia's border with Ethiopia," VOA News reports.

3 Sep 2011

Vitamin A supplements could save the lives of 600,000 children a year, researchers say

"Giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing countries could save 600,000 lives a year, researchers claim" in a paper published Thursday in the British Medical Journal, BBC News reports.

30 Aug 2011

Vitamin A supplements in children could save up to 600,000 lives a year: Study

Researchers have found that giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing countries could save up to 600,000 lives a year. Writing in the British Medical Journal, UK and Pakistani experts assessed 43 studies involving 200,000 children, and found deaths were cut by 24% if children were given the vitamin. They add that it would also cut rates of measles and diarrhea.

30 Aug 2011

Autism link to vaccines dispelled by a large review of studies

According to a report issued by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM), vaccines are largely safe, and do not cause autism or diabetes. This conclusion followed a review of more than 1,000 published research studies.

26 Aug 2011

IOM report: Vaccines generally safe, no link to autism

Vaccines can cause certain side effects but serious ones appear very rare -; and there's no link with autism and Type 1 diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says in the first comprehensive safety review in 17 years. The report released Thursday isn't aimed at nervous parents. And the side effects it lists as proven are some that doctors long have known about, such as fever-caused seizures and occasional brain inflammation.

26 Aug 2011

IOM report: Few health problems are clearly associated with vaccines

An analysis of more than 1,000 research articles concluded that few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines.

26 Aug 2011

Measles exposure in Philadelphia and Lancaster counties

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are advising the public of exposure to a case of measles in Lancaster and Philadelphia counties.

24 Aug 2011

White House holds call to discuss famine in the Horn of Africa

A post in the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog highlights a White House call "with faith-based organizations Wednesday afternoon to discuss efforts in the Horn of Africa to combat the extensive famine brought on by a severe drought in the region, the worst seen in decades."

20 Aug 2011

U.K., Islamic countries pledge additional funds for famine aid in Somalia

During a visit to the Somali capital of Mogadishu, U.K. International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell on Wednesday pledged an additional $41.5 million in aid to Somalia, to be distributed through UNICEF, BBC News reports.

19 Aug 2011

UNHCR reports 10 children dying daily and women facing risk of rape in Ethiopian refugee camps

"Ten Somali children under the age of five are dying every day of hunger-related causes in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, according to the U.N. refugee agency," the Guardian reports.

18 Aug 2011

U.S. 'can be proud' of past, future investments to improve food security

"Outside of immediate crisis relief," such as the administration of measles vaccinations or oral rehydration therapy for children affected by diarrheal diseases, the U.S. government's "past investments clearly are paying off" in the fight against drought and famine the Horn of Africa, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

17 Aug 2011

Disease outbreaks, looting hampering relief efforts in Somalia famine

"Outbreaks of measles and cholera are striking down Somali children already weakened by hunger, resulting in dozens of new fatalities," the Guardian reports (Rice, 8/13).

16 Aug 2011

East African profiles new GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley

The East African profiles Seth Berkley, the new CEO of the GAVI Alliance and founder and former CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

16 Aug 2011

Somalia faces cholera epidemic

World Health Organization (WHO) officials announced last Friday that famine-stricken Somalia faces a cholera epidemic as dirty water and poor sanitation are leading to an increase in outbreaks of the disease. The reports reveal cases of acute watery diarrhea - an important indicator of the risk of cholera - are now at 4,272 in Somalia - an 11 percent increase from last week’s WHO reported figure of 3,839.

15 Aug 2011

Members of U.S. delegation to Horn of Africa discuss response efforts

The August 8 visit of a U.S. delegation to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa "was important in terms of shedding light on the important efforts that are under way and the importance of continued support from the international community," Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Eric Schwartz said on Tuesday during a briefing on the trip, IIP Digital reports.

11 Aug 2011

U.S. can do more to reverse famine in Horn of Africa

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is traveling in East Africa with a U.S. delegation "to study the famine affecting the lives of over 12 million people, many of them children," writes in the Huffington Post's blog, "Huffpost Impact," that the group will assess "what more we as a nation can do."

10 Aug 2011

Jill Biden leads U.S. delegation to Kenya to assess conditions in Horn of Africa

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, USAID Administrator Raj Shah, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Schwartz and Special Assistant to the President Gayle Smith arrived in Kenya on Monday to assess and raise awareness of the famine conditions in the Horn of Africa, Capital FM News reports.

9 Aug 2011