Measles trending toward worst year in decades, warns Michigan’s top doc

For children who are not vaccinated against measles, one of the most contagious viruses in the world, no classroom, school bus, or grocery store is safe. Nine out of ten unvaccinated people who are exposed to an infected person will get it, and once measles takes root, the virus can damage the lungs, kidneys, and brain. With the fall in vaccination rates in the United States and outbreaks that have caused more than 790 cases and at least two dea…

How RFK Jr.’s Former Nonprofit Is Undermining His Measles Response

This article was originally published in The 19th. This story was originally reported by Barbara Rodriguez of The 19th. In mid-March, the parents of a 6-year-old girl in Texas who died of measles complications — the first measles-related child death in the United States in more than 20 years — decided to speak out about what happened to their daughter. But it was not an interview with a news outlet. The parents had agreed to an exclusive on-came…

A Shocking Number of Americans Are Still Clueless About Measles, Polling Suggests

Only half of all Americans are even aware that measles cases are higher than normal this year.

Child measles deaths draw attention to the importance of vaccines

Growing up, I always thought of my dad as one of six siblings. But he was actually one of seven.  In my fourth year of medical school, I was driving my grandmother home for Thanksgiving, and she started talking to me about her third child, a baby girl. There was a new combined vaccine available, but my grandparents were worried about it, so the baby did not get it. Their baby died of pertussis when she was a month old. My grandmother told me she…

Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds

While the most serious measles epidemic in a decade has led to the deaths of two children and spread to 27 states with no signs of letting up, beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine and the threat of the disease are sharply polarized, fed by the anti-vaccine views of the country’s seniormost health official. About two-thirds of Republican-leaning parents are unaware of an uptick in measles cases this year while about two-thirds of Democ…

What parents need to know about the measles vaccine

Jan Sonnenmair // Getty Images What parents need to know about the measles vaccine A measles outbreak involving hundreds of people across the country has put a spotlight on the role of vaccines in treating preventable diseases—especially as childhood vaccination rates have declined for several years. A school-aged child who was not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions died from the outbreak, according to Texas health officials. Pare…