When the virus arrived on its shores, the Pacific island nation was grievously unprepared. It had left the door to contagion wide open, and thousands of children have suffered.
Tag: Vaccination and Immunization
Measles Outbreak Leads to Shutdown of Public Services in Samoa
Dozens of people have died and thousands more have been infected in the country since the disease began spreading in October.
Ebola Response Workers Are Killed in Congo
The attacks could help the waning outbreak gain new life in an area that has endured heavy fighting.
Samoa Closes Schools as Measles Epidemic Kills at Least 16
Over 1,000 cases of measles have been recorded in the Pacific island country, with the casualties including a 7-month-old. “This is very much out of control,” a vaccine expert said.
Germany Mandates Measles Vaccine
All children attending preschool or higher in the country must be immunized, with fines for parents who do not comply, under a law that is to take effect next spring.
Measles Can Cause ‘Immune Amnesia,’ Increasing Risk of Other Infections
New research shows the virus can have devastating effects on the immune system that persist much longer than the illness itself.
New TB Vaccine Could Save Millions of Lives, Study Suggests
There are 10 million new cases each year of tuberculosis, now the leading infectious cause of death worldwide. Even a partly effective vaccine could help turn the tide.
Two Strains of Polio Are Gone, but the End of the Disease Is Still Far Off
Only polio virus Type 1 persists, and only in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But now mutant vaccine viruses are paralyzing some unvaccinated children.
W.H.O. Continues Emergency Status for Ebola Outbreak in Congo
New cases are down to 15 a week from a high of 128 in April, but outbreaks are still popping up in remote and dangerous mining areas.
Philippines Declares Polio Outbreak After 19 Years Free of the Disease
The country’s health secretary said that government scientists had confirmed one case in the southern province of Lanao del Sur and were looking at another suspected case.