Measles

Mpox in the DRC: children are at high risk – health expert explains why

By Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu, University of Minnesota The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are at higher risk from the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports confirm that children under five account for 39% of all cases in the country, and babies as young as two weeks are being diagnosed with this viral illness. Nadia […]

September 2, 2024 33

Health / Medical

154 million lives saved in 50 years: 5 charts on the global success of vaccines

By Meru Sheel, University of Sydney and Alexandra Hogan, UNSW Sydney We know vaccines have been a miracle for public health. Now, new research led by the World Health Organization has found vaccines have saved an estimated 154 million lives in the past 50 years from 14 different diseases. Most of these have been children under five, and around two-thirds children under one year old. In 1974 […]

May 14, 2024 30

Health / Medical

Measles is on the rise around the world – we can’t let vaccination rates falter

fotohay/Shutterstock Jaya Dantas, Curtin University In recent weeks a series of measles alerts have been issued around Australia, including in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, after the identification of a small number of cases in travellers returning from overseas. Meanwhile, places such as the United States and the United Kingdom have been contending with larger measles outbreaks. In fact, the World Health Organization reported a 45-fold increase in measles […]

January 31, 2024 17

Health / Medical

How Fringe Anti-Science Views Infiltrated Mainstream Politics — And What It Means in 2024

People protest against covid-19 vaccine mandates outside of Los Angeles Unified School District's offices on May 10, 2022. (DAVID CRANE/MEDIANEWS GROUP/LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS VIA GETTY IMAGES) By Amy Maxmen via KFF Health News Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year low in 2023. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, puts about 250,000 kindergartners at risk for measles, which often leads to hospitalization and can cause death. In recent […]

January 29, 2024 19