For more than a month, Samoa has been battling a measles outbreak of huge proportions. Things are very slowly starting to improve.
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Articles on Vaccination
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Now is not the time to ease up the prevention effort, or decades of progress could be undone.
Effective health care interventions are very important for sub-Saharan Africa because the region has a high burden of vaccine-preventable diseases.
We've known how to control typhoid for over 100 years. The rapid current increase of drug-resistant variants in both rich and poor countries is down to decades of short-sighted global health policies.
Responding to someone who questions vaccination can be difficult. Before you react, it pays to assess the situation because weighing in can do more harm than good.
Even when cases of measles are detected in clinics, limited diagnostic and communication infrastructure can delay the response.
You no longer have to go to your GP to get your flu shot or catch up on vaccinations you missed earlier in life or have waning immunity to. But they're unlikely to be free.
California has limited medical exemptions for vaccinating children. A new law places final authority with the state public health department, but does that shift the balance of power?
Recent discoveries on the effects of live attenuated vaccines challenge the current vaccine paradigm and question vaccination policies.
In some countries, parents are fined if they don't vaccinate their child or they have to go on a course before being granted an exemption to vaccinate. Are any of these options right for Australia?
From fear of needles to religious beliefs, there are all sorts of reasons why people choose not to vaccinate.
Minority opinions posted online can skew social consensus.
If you want to know where measles is a problem, look for countries with rising populist parties.
It's not just measles you need to worry about.
When a certain percentage of a population has been vaccinated, it prevents an infectious disease from spreading. But that threshold depends on the disease.
Seven to 10 days in bed with a high fever and rash is the best outcome you can expect if your child catches measles. Brain damage or death is the worst.
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made vaccination and post-infection therapy available. But the number of those infected annually and dying from viral Hepatitis continues to be high.
The threat posed by measles is on the rise again in a number of countries in the world. One of them is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Babies are normally vaccinated against measles at 12 months old. But doctors are now suggesting having the shot as early as six months might be worthwhile for youngsters traveling overseas.
The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to start working and only protects against influenza, so you can still get sick from other viruses after your flu shot.
Top contributors
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Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney
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Professor, University of Sydney
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Professor and Head of Clinical Research, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, University of Sydney
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Honorary Research Fellow, Macquarie University
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Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, UNSW
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Professor and Director for the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine, University of Sydney
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Honorary Fellow at Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne
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Professor of International Health, Burnet Institute
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Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University
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Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Global Disease Epidemiology and Control, Johns Hopkins University
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Director, Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council
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PhD Candidate, School of Public Health, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor, Discipline of Childhood and Adolescent Health, University of Sydney
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Laureate Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Lyn Gilbert is a Friend of The Conversation.
Clinical Professor in Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Sydney
