Join the 'Measles' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Measles Blog
| Tweet |
Measles Deaths Falling Worldwide
Posted 23 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 23 – Deaths from measles fell 74 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2010, but progress is still short of the World Health Organization's target, health officials reported Monday. "This is one of the most remarkable victories in the history of public health," said Anthony Lake, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), during a morning press briefing, while calling for increased vaccination efforts. The WHO, which aimed to cut measles deaths by 90 percent between 2000 and 2010, said India – with the world's highest rate of measles deaths – and Africa have offset the considerable gains made elsewhere. In the United States, which since 2008 has had no reported measles deaths, 222 cases of measles were reported in 2011 – the most in 15 years. Nearly all stemmed from foreign travel, and a majority of those who developed the disease had not been ... Read more
Related support groups: Measles, Measles Virus Vaccine, Vaccination and Prophlaxis, Attenuvax, Measles Prophylaxis
Unvaccinated Kids Behind Largest U.S. Measles Outbreak in Years: Study
Posted 20 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Oct. 20 – The largest U.S. outbreak of measles to occur in 15 years – affecting 214 children so far – is likely driven by travelers returning from abroad and by too many unvaccinated U.S. children, according to new research. The finding could highlight the dangers of a trend among some U.S. parents to skip the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine for their children, out of what many experts call misguided fears over its safety. Dr. Andrew Pavlo, professor of pediatrics at the University of Utah and spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), said, "The good news is that we are seeing introductions of measles that are being contained as small outbreaks." Pavlo credits containment to high levels of vaccination and the rapid response by public health officials. However, if an outbreak occurred in a "really susceptible population the outcome could be very ... Read more
Related support groups: Measles, M-M-R II, Measles Prophylaxis, Measles Virus Vaccine/Mumps Virus Vaccine/Rubella Virus Vaccine
Some U.S. Parents Ignoring Vaccination Guidelines
Posted 3 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 3 – More than one in 10 parents don't follow recommended vaccination guidelines for their children, opting instead for an "alternative" schedule that could involve skipping doses or delaying shots. And parents who do follow official recommendations show some inclination to move toward an alternative schedule, according to new research. The findings alarm the authors of the study, published in the November issue of Pediatrics. "This really highlights to me that there's probably going to be a continuing increase in the number of parents who choose to follow alternative schedules," said study author Dr. Amanda Dempsey. "We really need to start allocating government and educational resources to stem the growing tide of discontent about vaccines among parents." This isn't the first time investigators have noticed the shift. "There's been a trend over the past couple of decades ... Read more
Related support groups: BCG, Tetanus Toxoid, Measles, Twinrix, Vivotif Berna, Typhoid Vaccine, Live, Pneumococcal 7-Valent Vaccine, Tice BCG, Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed, Typhoid Vaccine, Inactivated, Boostrix (Tdap), Vivotif Berna Vaccine, Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed, Pediarix, Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine
Vaccinations Aren't Just for Kids
Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Public health experts often focus immunization awareness efforts toward protecting children, and with good reason: Facing a potentially bewildering schedule of vaccinations for their young ones, parents usually need all the help they can get. But vaccinations aren't just kid stuff. Medical science is creating an increasing number of immunizations targeted at adults, to help them avoid life-threatening diseases in middle-age and opportunistic infections when they're older. "Immunization is a life-long issue that we need to pay a lot of attention to," said Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Some adult vaccinations are very well-known, like the annual shot that aims to prevent the spread of influenza. "You need an influenza shot every year," Benjamin said. "Part of that is because the virus changes every year, ... Read more
Related support groups: Pneumonia, BCG, Meningitis, Tetanus, Yellow Fever Vaccine, Zostavax, Gardasil, Tetanus Toxoid, Human Papilloma Virus, Cervical Cancer, FluLaval, Pneumovax 23, Tuberculosis -- Prophylaxis, Varicella-Zoster, Measles
Travelers Bringing Measles Back to U.S., CDC Says
Posted 10 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, April 7 – Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, but cases continue to occur among U.S. residents who return from trips to other countries, as well as among foreign visitors to the United States, says a new government report. "Measles importations and transmission from imported cases continue to pose a threat to U.S. residents," warns a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and various state health departments. "Travelers can be exposed to measles in the country of travel or while en route to and from that country, in airports or on airplanes," they add. According to the researchers, young children are at greatest risk of complications or death from measles, which is highly contagious but can be prevented by vaccination. In the first two months of this year, the CDC reported 13 cases of "imported measles" among U.S. residents, ... Read more
Related support groups: Measles
Infants Vulnerable to Measles Before 1st Shot
Posted 19 May 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 19 – Babies aren't scheduled to be vaccinated against measles until they turn a year old, but new research suggests that infants are vulnerable to the disease from the time they are 2 to 3 months old until they get their shot because the immunity they inherit from their mother wears off. The study, based on an examination of the medical records of 207 healthy women and babies at five Belgian hospitals in 2006, was published online May 18 in BMJ. Among the mothers in the study, the women who had contracted the measles at some point in their life became immune and gave more of an immune boost to their babies than women who were vaccinated and never experienced the illness. Still, protection derived from the mother only lasted from one to four months for all the women. Between 95 percent and 99 percent of the infants had lost the components of their immune systems, known as ... Read more
Related support groups: Measles, Measles Prophylaxis
Measles Outbreak Triggered by Unvaccinated Child
Posted 22 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 22 – What began as a family trip to Switzerland in 2008 ended up as a public health nightmare in California. The family's 7-year-old boy, who was intentionally unvaccinated against measles, was exposed to the virus while traveling in Europe. When he returned home to San Diego, he unknowingly exposed a total of 839 people, and an additional 11 unvaccinated children contracted the disease. Three of those infected were babies, too young to have yet received the measles vaccines, and one of the babies was hospitalized for three days with a 106-degree fever, according to a report to be published in the April issue of Pediatrics. "Measles is just a plane ride away, including places like Switzerland and the U.K.," said one of the researchers, Dr. Jane Seward, deputy director of viral diseases at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the U.S. Centers ... Read more
Related support groups: Measles