Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune system: INSAGO/Shutterstock Blindness, pneumonia, severe diarrhoea and even death – measles virus infections, especially in children, can have devastating consequences. Fortunately, we have a safe and effective defence. Measles vaccines are estimated to have averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Yet …
Measles: it’s not just London that’s at risk of an outbreak – it’s all of the UK: Since the start of 2023, measles has been reported in a third of countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region. And in the first five months of the year there were 5,699 cases reported there – …
Measles: how declining vaccination levels in London are threatening herd immunity: fotohay/Shutterstock The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned of an increased risk of measles outbreaks, particularly in London. Although the probability of a large epidemic is still considered to be low elsewhere in the UK, the UKHSA’s projections suggest the capital could see …
Measles and whooping cough outbreaks in South Africa: a sign of low vaccination coverage, experts warn: Caregivers are conflicted about vaccinating their children. Shutterstock The concentrated global effort to use vaccination as a public health intervention began in 1974. Since then, vaccination has changed our lives. Worldwide, in the decades 2000-2020, childhood vaccination led to …
Measles: why the World Health Organization has declared it an ‘imminent global threat’: One consequence of the pandemic was reduced access to routine healthcare and lower uptake of immunisations. As a result, in November 2022, the World Health Organization declared measles to be an “imminent threat in every region of the world”. They described how …
Measles: global increase in cases likely driven by COVID pandemic: In the first two months of 2022, 17,000 cases were already reported worldwide. fotohay/ Shutterstock A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef warns that there could be a significant increase in the number of measles cases around the world. More than 17,000 …
South Africa in the news: Rubella seroprevalence using residual samples from the South African measles surveillance program: South Africa has yet to incorporate rubella vaccines (RCV) into its scheduled immunization programme. When adopting RCV, the target demographic should be chosen with the ages of vulnerable individuals …: “South Africa” – BingNews WTO to start vaccine …
The coping mechanisms the DRC is putting in place as it faces Ebola, measles and COVID-19: A child receives a vaccine against Ebola from a nurse in Goma on August 7, 2019. AUGUSTIN WAMENYA/AFP via Getty Images Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates, has become endemic in the Democratic Republic of …
Explainer: a history of the measles virus and why it’s so tenacious: Successful vaccination against measles in childhood should provide lifetime protection. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images The measles virus has been a part of human life for thousands of years. A recent study suggests that it appeared about 4,000 years ago, originating from a …
Pasha 41: Taking a look at measles in the DRC: shutterstock The measles outbreak in the DRC is the largest and most fatal in the world this year. What started in one section of the country has now spread to all 26 provinces. Not vaccinating children lies at the heart of the problem. But there …
Measles: should vaccinations should be compulsory?: Measles virus. Design_Cells/Shutterstock Following a measles outbreak in Rockland County in New York State, authorities there have declared a state of emergency, with unvaccinated children barred from public spaces, raising important questions about the responsibilities of the state and of individuals when it comes to public health. Measles virus …