Although his reports on the spurious connections between vaccines and autism have been roundly refuted and his "research" report retracted, Andrew Wakefield's poison continues to harm children. In Minnesota, the continuing outbreak of measles in a Somali community is the latest case in point.
measles
Traveling to Italy in the near future? You might want to add "get up to date on your measles vaccines" to your to-do list before jetting away. That's due to a new CDC recommendation, since there's an outbreak currently taking place in Europe's pasta-and-wine paradise.
New data shows that more than eight in ten Americans "support requiring all healthy schoolchildren to be vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella." In addition, an overwhelming number of adults – 88 percent – "believe that the benefits of these inoculations outweigh the risks."
In its latest issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC estimates the worldwide impact that vaccination against measles. The results are both encouraging and breathtaking. What would happen if there was no measles vaccine? Roughly 1.5 million people would die of the disease every single year.
A recent report in JAMA provides concrete epidemiological evidence that vaccine refusal has contributed to the increased risk for measles and pertussis, also known as whooping cough, which are vaccine-preventable diseases.
Two of the most common travel-related infectious diseases are hepatitis A and measles. Both are preventable with vaccinations, but they don't work immediately. If you're planning a trip to Mexico or Central America, the hep A vaccine will protect you but not for 4-to-6 weeks. And everyone should be vaccinated against measles whether they travel or not.
Although it may seem that when California legislators and governors relate to public health they get it wrong (for example with Proposition 65), but sometimes they really do the right thing.
We ve written several times about the Disneyland measles outbreak that occurred earlier this year. A total of 147 people were sickened in the US, and infections also spread to Mexico and Canada. The outbreak once again sparked the debate about vaccinations. With
Tomorrow (April 24th) begins World Immunization Week, a campaign started by the World Health Organization (WHO) to increase worldwide efforts to immunize children against a variety of life threatening
This past Sunday, April 12th, marked the 60th anniversary of Jonas Salk s polio vaccine being deemed safe, effective and potent after the largest clinical trial for a vaccine in history. The inactivated polio vaccine was licensed by the federal
While viral contagions spread across the nation like wildfire, stubborn pockets of anti-vaccine resistance promote their spread and expose all of us vaccinated or not to needless danger.
The latest in health news: anti-vaxxers stand by their beliefs while measles breaks in Disney and a new study confirms their safety, antiviral drugs may be the alternative to the failed flu shots but not all experts agree, and in the court of public opinion, fear-mongers win the debate over gmo and pesticide safety.