Measles Is Returning to a Range of Places — But Not for the Same Reasons
By now, measles ought to be optional. As long as parents are conscientious and governments are competent, no child has to contract the sometimes fatal disease again. But across Europe and in the U.S., that’s not what’s happening. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were more than 40,000 cases of measles–including 37 deaths–across Europe in just the first six months of 2018. That’s a huge jump: in all of last year, there were 23,927 cases, and only 5,273 the year before. More than half of those 2018 cases were found in Ukraine, while six other countries (Serbia, France, Ital...
Source: TIME: Health - August 23, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized global health Source Type: news

Why Is Italy ’s Government Trying to Overturn a Lifesaving Vaccination Law? Here’s What to Know
Italy’s parliament shocked the scientific community on Tuesday by voting to lift a legal requirement that parents vaccinate their children before sending them to pre-school. The move, driven by Italy’s new populist coalition government, has been widely criticized by doctors, who say vaccinations are essential to avoiding outbreaks of serious diseases like measles. Here’s what to know about the Italian government’s decision: What did the Italian government do with vaccines? Italian lawmakers in the upper house of parliament voted 148 to 110 to amend a law that required children under the age of 6 to...
Source: TIME: Health - August 8, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ciara Nugent and Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized Anti-Vaccines Italy Source Type: news

Technical Note: Clarification on the Possible Cross Reactivity in Serological Tests for IgM-measles and IgM-Zika virus
Source: World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Published: 7/30/2018. This two-page document discusses false-positive results due to cross-reactions that have been documented between measles IgM antibodies and human parvovirus (B19), rubella, and herpes virus. However, no cross-reactivity has been described between species of the Flaviviridaefamily (Zika, dengue, etc.) with those of the Paramyxoviridae family (measles). (PDF) (Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health)
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - July 30, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Mumps Outbreaks at Four Universities - Indiana, 2016
In 2016, large mumps outbreaks occurred at four Indiana universities. At some universities documentation of receipt of 2 doses of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) was not available and required substantial personnel time to verify. (Source: PHPartners.org)
Source: PHPartners.org - July 26, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Africa:Cracking the Cold Chain Challenge Is Key to Making Vaccines Ubiquitous
[The Conversation Africa] Over the years vaccines have prevented countless cases of disease and saved millions of lives. Infectious diseases like polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), smallpox, mumps, tetanus and rotavirus used to be common around the world. Today vaccines can prevent them. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - July 17, 2018 Category: African Health Source Type: news

What is the Interval For Non-simultaneous Administration of Live Virus Vaccines?
Discussion Vaccines are a mainstay of infectious disease prevention and health promotion. Infants, children and adults benefit from vaccines the most when they are given on the recommended schedules. However there are times when this is not possible as children come to the physician a little early, or a little late, or had unavailable records and so received addition vaccine, etc. There are many questions that arise because of these timing issues such as the one above. Standard vaccine schedules can be reviewed here. Commonly administered vaccines includes: Live-attenuated vaccines Cholera Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR ...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - July 9, 2018 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news

Unvaccinated Kids Create Risk of U.S. 'Hot Spots'
The researchers found that among children enrolling in kindergarten, the number of those with nonmedical exemptions has increased since 2009 in 12 states, resulting in lower rates of vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. (Source: WebMD Health)
Source: WebMD Health - June 14, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Imported Congenital Rubella Syndrome, United States, 2017 Imported Congenital Rubella Syndrome, United States, 2017
What have we learned about the risk for imported cases of congenital rubella syndrome?Emerging Infectious Diseases (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - June 6, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Infectious Diseases Journal Article Source Type: news

Progress Toward Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Control — South-East Asia Region, 2000–2016
(Source: CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)
Source: CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - May 31, 2018 Category: American Health Source Type: news

FDA Approves First Artificial Iris
A German company has become the first to score FDA approval for a stand-alone prosthetic iris in the United States. The agency said Wednesday afternoon that it approved the CustomFlex Artificial Iris, made by Erlangen, Germany-based HumanOptics. The device, which is surgically implanted, is approved to treat adults and children whose iris is completely missing or damaged due to a congenital condition called aniridia or other damage to the eye. “Patients with iris defects may experience severe vision problems, as well as dissatisfaction with the appearance of their eye,” said Malvina Eydelman, MD, director of the divi...
Source: MDDI - May 30, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Amanda Pedersen Tags: Implants Source Type: news

Gates Foundation looks to develop simple, single-use injection device for global use
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation this week announced it is taking requests for proposals to develop a dual-chamber, prefilled, single-dose injection device for use in remote in-home settings by low skilled healthcare workers and through self-administration. The injection device will be used for the administration of the measles-rubella vaccine in house-to-house campaigns, and for the self-administration of long-acting, injectable contraceptives, according to a posting from the group. Read the whole story on our sister site, Drug Delivery Business   The post Gates Foundation looks to develop simple, single-use inj...
Source: Mass Device - May 24, 2018 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Business/Financial News Research & Development Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Source Type: news

WHO launches business case for immunization in Africa at the World Health Assembly
Geneva, Switzerland, 23 May 2018 – Today at the 71st World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the business case for WHO immunization activities on the African Continent 2018-2030,which outlines how WHO will support African Member States achieve universal immunization coverage.  While Africa has made tremendous progress in improving access to immunization, most countries are off track to achieve the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) target of 90% national immunization coverage by 2020.Every year, more than 30 million children under-five fall sick due to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs),...
Source: WHO EMRO News - May 24, 2018 Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news

Mozambique:Vaccination Campaign Reachs Almost 100 Per Cent of Target
[AIM] Maputo -The Mozambican Health Ministry vaccinated almost seven million children against measles and rubeola (also known as German measles) in April, according to a report in Monday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias". (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - May 15, 2018 Category: African Health Source Type: news

Syria: MSF vaccinates tens of thousands of displaced children in west Aleppo
More than 51,000 children were vaccinated  measles, rubella, and pneumococcal disease and its complications.Language English (Source: MSF News)
Source: MSF News - May 8, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Elias Primoff Source Type: news