Rubella News and Research

RSS

Blood tests show autistic children have abnormal immune-system responses

Scientists in the U.S. have discovered that children with autism have abnormal immune-system responses and are optimistic that their findings could be used to develop a blood test to screen for the behavioural disorder.

9 May 2005

Fear stops some parents vaccinating their children

A new study has found that the majority of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children do so out of fear that the vaccine will cause more harm than the disease it prevents.

4 May 2005

Lower vaccination rates put children at risk

A study done in part by the University of Alberta shows that children treated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have lower vaccination rates than the general population, exposing them to added risk from preventable illnesses such as mumps and measles.

1 May 2005

Protection against 12 different communicable diseases available for infants and toddlers

In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week (April 24, 2005 through April 30, 2005), the Nassau County Department of Health urges all parents to ensure that their infants and toddlers are fully protected from the following vaccine preventable diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza (meningitis), varicella (chickenpox), pneumococcal disease and influenza.

12 Apr 2005

Rubella no threat in U.S.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ,speaking at the National Immunization Conference Washington, DC, says the rubella virus, a major cause of serious birth defects such as deafness and blindness, also known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) is no longer considered to be a major public health threat in the United States.

21 Mar 2005

U.S. children undervaccinated

Approximately one-third of U.S. children were undervaccinated for more than six months and one-fourth experienced delays in receiving many of the recommended vaccinations during their first 24 months of life, according to a study in the current issue of JAMA.

9 Mar 2005

Autism and MMR, no link found

Fears that the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella could cause autism were first raised in 1998 by a gastroenterologist, Andrew Wakefield, his research has been largely discredited. and any lingering doubt of a link between autism and MMR has been completely dispelled by a new study that found withdrawing the vaccine did nothing to slow the rise in children diagnosed with the condition.

3 Mar 2005

Herpesviruses are everywhere!

A population-based study of primary human herpesvirus 6 infection is reported in the current issue of the The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

24 Feb 2005

Vaccination Week, largest immunization drive in the Americas

Health workers in every country in the Western Hemisphere are preparing strategies, purchasing vaccines, and coordinating logistics for the largest immunization drive in the Americas, targeting millions of children for Vaccination Week in the Americas, starting April 23.

13 Feb 2005

Vaccine contributions to health highlighted at PAHO meeting

Vaccine programs in the Americas have made major contributions to improving health in the Americas and new vaccines could go even further, said Dr. D.A. Henderson, a global expert who chairs a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) technical group here today.

4 Nov 2004

Mumps cases amongst young adults continue to increase

Following a continued increase in cases of mumps amongst teenagers and young adults in recent years, the Health Protection Agency’s local teams have been working with schools and universities where outbreaks have taken place, to ensure that students are vaccinated.

4 Nov 2004

Stable liquid technology will enable vaccines to be stored for long periods without refrigeration and reconstitution

A UK vaccine technology that is set to revolutionise the industry has received £950k funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) to bring to production a pentavalent childhood vaccine that can be stored without refrigeration.

25 Oct 2004

Evidence that measles-mumps-rubella immunisation is not associated with autism

A UK study published in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provides further evidence that measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunisation is not associated with the development of autism or other pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) in children.

9 Sep 2004

Gravity model applicable to disease spread

Tracking the spread of new or re-emergent diseases such as SARS or smallpox is essential in controlling disease epidemics, but horse-and-buggy concepts of how diseases spread have been supplanted by 21st-century realities.

9 Aug 2004

Autism antibodies are not genetically determined, as parents do not exhibit them

Autism produces a widespread range of antibodies that act against brain tissue and one protein in particular seems to be the major target of these antibodies claim a group of scientists in the July issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

23 Jul 2004

150 top scientists debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research

More than 150 top scientists, researchers and public health experts from around the world will meet in Switzerland next week to present, debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research and development, as well as vaccine policy and implementation.

3 Jun 2004

Report rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism

A pivotal report issued today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) rejects childhood vaccines as a cause of autism. The findings, based on reviews of current scientific evidence, are a significant affirmation of vaccine safety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

19 May 2004

New figures suggest Scotland is in the middle of a mumps epidemic

New figures raise public fears of a mumps epidemic by showing there were 370 confirmed cases of mumps in the first four months of 2001. This figure is almost an 800% increase on the total of recorded mumps cases for the whole of 2003.

3 May 2004

Vaccination Week in the Americas in full swing

Reports from the countries say that the immunization campaign has reached some of the most remote areas, including border regions and indigenous communities. The reports also show that the vaccination efforts, which began April 24, are reaching the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

29 Apr 2004

PAHO's revolving fund for immunization

A quarter century ago, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and its member countries launched a unique procurement and financing mechanism to buy vaccines, syringes, and "cold chain" equipment – the basic components of their immunization programs.

21 Apr 2004