Samoa’s Measles Outbreak and Response
(updated to reflect new outbreak figures released by AFP on Nov. 25, 2019)—A total of 2,194 cases of measles have been reported in Samoa this year. The government has declared a state of emergency and closed all schools, including the nation’s only university. Samoan health authorities are developing plans to implement compulsory MMR (mumps, measles, […]
Government Should Get Out of Exam Rooms When Ordering Vaccines
Opinion | The nation has averted a so-called “public health crisis,” but that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from playing doctor. Propelled by the measles crisis, states are enacting laws limiting the personal and religious exemptions parents can claim from vaccine mandates. California has gone one step further, empowering a bureaucracy to review all medical exemptions to vaccine mandates, placing […]
Baby Girl in Cuba Dies Two Days After Getting MMR Vaccine
A one-year-old girl died in Cuba on Oct. 9, 2019 two days after receiving an MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) vaccination. Paloma Domínguez Caballero was administered the vaccine at a clinic near Havana on Oct. 7. Within two hours, the toddler began to have symptoms of severe adverse reactions.1 2 According to Paloma’s mother, “First we […]
One in Four Vaccinated Children in Chinese City Got Measles
Story Highlights A new study shows that despite a measles vaccination rate of more than 97 percent, over a quarter of vaccinated children in Tianjin, China still became infected with measles. Even with two or more doses of measles vaccine, 8.5 percent of cases in the surveillance dataset and 26 percent in the case series […]
Silent Carriers of Measles Are Never Diagnosed or Reported
Story Highlights The elimination of religious exemptions to vaccination in some states like New York are forcing parents to make the untenable choice between violating their deeply held religious or spiritual beliefs or uprooting their lives and either homeschooling their children or moving to another state. With the focus on a number of measles cases […]
The Dose Makes the Poison in Pet Vaccines
Story Highlights Almost all states in the U.S. require certain core vaccines for companion animals including dogs, cats and ferrets, with many expected to be repeated annually. Vaccine dosages are given on a one-size-fits-all basis, so that Chihuahua puppies and full grown Mastiffs receive the same amount of vaccine. Despite data showing that small breeds […]
