Measles, once on the brink of eradication, has resurged, exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic interfering with routine vaccination programs.
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The resurgence of measles and whooping cough is troubling. The most effective way to prevent the return and spread of vaccine-preventable diseases is through vaccination and combating vaccine hesitancy.
A three-year-old girl under a mosquito net in Mukuli, western Kenya. She had received all four doses of RTS,S, the world’s first malaria vaccine.
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Adam R Houston, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Jason Nickerson, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Any upsurge in measles is of real concern, but in settings aggravated by poor living conditions and malnutrition, it can be disastrous. It can affect adults, but young children are at particular risk.
A measles virus particle. Measles is one of the most contagious pathogens known.
(CDC and NIAID)
David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
A pediatrician and preventive medicine physician explains how measles vaccines became victims of their own success and the risk that rising outbreaks pose to everyone.
Jan Dewar, Auckland University of Technology; Denise Wilson, Auckland University of Technology; Gail Pacheco, Auckland University of Technology, and Lisa Meehan, Auckland University of Technology
Mandates were meant to ensure continuity of public services during the pandemic. But a new study suggests they had limited impact on vaccination rates, while significantly hurting careers and eroding trust.
Travis Kelce celebrates with Taylor Swift on Jan. 28, 2024, after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game.
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The idea that the Swift-Kelce romance is some sort of deep-state plot is perhaps gaining traction in far-right circles because it lines up with the political right’s broader agenda and beliefs.
Adult MMR jabs could play an important role in preventing measles outbreaks.
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The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the promise of using mRNA as medicine. But before mRNA drugs can go beyond vaccines, researchers need to identify the right diseases to treat.
Studies show that health misinformation on social media has led to fewer people getting vaccinated and more lives lost to COVID-19 and other life-threatening diseases.
One of the advantages of mRNA is its scalability.
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From COVID-19 vaccines to cancer treatments and beyond, the flexibility of mRNA-based therapies gives them the potential to prevent and treat many types of diseases.
Viruses can get into cells in several ways. Figuring out how to stop them from entering in the first place is a key to developing better vaccines and stopping future pandemics.
A woman watches over a child with malaria at a hospital near Abidjan.
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The past two years have seen groundbreaking advances in the fight against malaria with the development of two vaccines. But demand far exceeds supply, so rollouts need to be carefully managed.
If the vaccine is offered, children would be given two doses.
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Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand