US kindergarten vaccination rate dropped again, data shows
January 12, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Vaccination rates for U.S. kindergarteners dropped again last year, and federal officials are starting a new campaign to try to bring them up.
Usually, 94% to 95% of kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, tetanus and certain other diseases.
WHO, CDC: A record 40 million kids miss measles vaccine dose
November 23, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say measles immunization has dropped significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began, resulting in a record high of nearly 40 million children missing a vaccine dose last year.
Secret vaccinations help Zimbabwe mothers protect children
September 22, 2022 GMTHARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Dozens of women holding babies rushed to take their places on wooden benches at a clinic in Zimbabwe while a nurse took a separate group of anxious mothers and their children through a back door and into another room.
Zimbabwe says measles outbreak has killed 700 children
September 5, 2022 GMTHARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — The death toll from a measles outbreak in Zimbabwe has risen to almost 700 children, the country’s health ministry has said.
Some are calling for the enactment of legislation to make vaccination mandatory in a country where anti-modern medicine religious sects hold sway on large swathes of the population of 15 million people.
Measles outbreak in Zimbabwe kills 157 unvaccinated children
August 17, 2022 GMTHARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A measles outbreak in Zimbabwe has killed 157 children, most of whom were unvaccinated due to their family's religious beliefs, officials said.
The measles outbreak was first reported in the eastern Manicaland province in early April and has since spread to all parts of the country.
Virginia health officials warn of possible measles exposures
May 18, 2022 GMTFAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Health officials are warning the public about possible exposures to a child with measles at two northern Virginia locations.
The unvaccinated child contracted measles during international travel, but is now improving, the Virginia Department of Health said Wednesday in a news release.
Africa sees rise in measles as pandemic disrupts vaccines
April 28, 2022 GMTKAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Africa is seeing a surge of outbreaks of preventable diseases as a result of disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
The continent recorded a 400% increase in measles, to more than 17,000 cases between January and March, compared to the same period last year, Dr.
Rates for measles, other vaccinations dip for kindergartners
April 21, 2022 GMTA smaller portion of U.S. children got routine vaccinations required for kindergarten during the pandemic, government researchers said Thursday, raising concerns that measles and other preventable diseases could increase.
Routine child immunization rates decline in ND during COVID
April 7, 2022 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota health officials say routine childhood immunization rates have declined during the coronavirus pandemic.
The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination rate for North Dakota children from 19 months to 35 months decreased more than 6% between December 2019 to December 2022 to about 78%, according to the state Department of Health.
GOP revives anti-vax, pro-ivermectin measure in Kansas
March 17, 2022 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Conservative Republican lawmakers on Thursday revived a proposal to weaken Kansas' vaccination requirements for children enrolling in school and day care and to make it easier for people to get potentially dangerous treatments for COVID-19.
Big Bird backlash: Vax lands even Muppet in political flap
November 11, 2021 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Smokey Bear taught kids the importance of preventing wildfires. McGruff the Crime Dog warned them not to talk to strangers.
US resumes Afghan refugee flights after measles shots
October 4, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Afghan refugees will soon be arriving again in the U.S. after a massive campaign to vaccinate them against measles following a small outbreak that caused a three-week pause in evacuations, officials said Monday.
Afghan evacuees vaccinated against measles, chicken pox
October 4, 2021 GMTEDINBURGH, Ind. (AP) — More than 6,100 Afghan evacuees housed at Camp Atterbury in southern Indiana have been vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox, federal officials at the base said Monday.
Virginia and Wisconsin report measles cases among refugees
September 14, 2021 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Six people who recently traveled to the United States after fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan have been diagnosed with measles, officials said Tuesday.
The cases in Virginia and Wisconsin are being reported four days after the U.S.
The Latest: UN says $1.2B pledged to help Afghans in need
September 13, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief says $1.2 billion has been promised to help Afghans facing a growing humanitarian crisis in the country and millions in the region, calling the pledges “an important step” toward helping the needy.
Measles cases halt US-bound flights of Afghan evacuees
September 10, 2021 GMTThe U.S. on Friday halted U.S.-bound flights of Afghan evacuees, pulling some off planes, after discovering a few cases of measles among new arrivals in the United States.
A U.S. government document viewed by The Associated Press warned the development would have a severe impact on an evacuation that since Aug.
Momentum grows for closing gaps in US vaccine requirements
May 1, 2021 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A law adopted this week in Connecticut adds momentum to the push to strengthen vaccination requirements for schoolchildren, but efforts to give families more leeway are brewing in statehouses around the country in debates that go back more than a century...
Measles confirmed in case of unvaccinated Connecticut child
April 9, 2021 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut child who was not vaccinated for measles has contracted the highly contagious disease, according to the state Department of Public Health, which urged residents on Friday to make sure their children receive the vaccine...
UN: 870K measles cases in 2019, highest number in 23 years
November 12, 2020 GMTLONDON (AP) — The number of children sickened by measles in 2019 was the highest in 23 years, according to new data published by the World Health Organization and the U...
Congo now faces 2nd Ebola outbreak in northern province
June 1, 2020 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Health officials have confirmed a second Ebola outbreak in Congo, the World Health Organization said Monday, adding yet another health crisis for a country already battling COVID-19 and the world's largest measles outbreak...
Pandemic halts vaccination for nearly 80 million children
May 22, 2020 GMTLONDON (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is interrupting immunization against diseases including measles, polio and cholera that could put the lives of nearly 80 million children under the age of 1 at risk, according to a new analysis from the World Health Organization and partners...
Can blood from coronavirus survivors treat the newly ill?
March 24, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Hospitals are gearing up to test if a century-old treatment used to fight off flu and measles outbreaks in the days before vaccines, and tried more recently against SARS and Ebola, just might work for COVID-19, too: using blood donated from patients who’ve recovered...
WHO: Death toll from measles outbreak in Congo hits 6,000
January 7, 2020 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The death toll from a measles epidemic in Congo has surpassed 6,000, the World Health Organization said Tuesday as it warned that more funds are needed to save lives during the world's worst outbreak of the infectious disease...
Samoa’s capital deserted as teams battle measles epidemic
December 5, 2019 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Samoa’s main streets were eerily quiet on Thursday as the government stepped up efforts to curb a measles epidemic that has killed 62 people...
50 children killed by measles in Samoa as outbreak worsens
December 2, 2019 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Samoa’s government said Monday that another five children had died within the past day from a measles outbreak, bringing the death toll from the epidemic to more than 50 as authorities race to vaccinate the entire population...
UN: Measles cases spike in numerous outbreaks worldwide
November 27, 2019 GMTLONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says cases of measles are continuing to spike globally, with multiple large outbreaks being reported across Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East...
Samoa measles epidemic worsens with 24 children now dead
November 25, 2019 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Authorities said Monday that a measles epidemic sweeping through Samoa continues to worsen with the death toll rising to 25, all but one of them young children...
New measles case in child who visited Portland airport
November 21, 2019 GMTVANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Officials say an unvaccinated child in southwestern Washington has contracted the measles after travelling internationally...
Measles saps kids’ ability to fight other germs
October 31, 2019 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Measles has a stealth side effect: New research shows it erases much of the immune system's memory of how to fight other germs, so children recover only to be left more vulnerable to bugs like flu or strep...
Measles outbreak that sickened 312 in Rockland declared over
September 25, 2019 GMTNEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) — Officials have announced an end to the measles outbreak that infected 312 people since last October in Rockland County in New York City's northern suburbs...
Correction: Measles Outbreak story
September 17, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — In a story Sept. 16 about measles, The Associated Press reported erroneously how long it had been since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported no new cases...
Life-saving vaccine scientist’s 100th birthday celebrated
September 6, 2019 GMTBOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — It sounds like a fairy tale.
A poor boy, born in tragedy and raised by his aunt and uncle on a Montana farm, would grow up to become one of America's greatest scientists, a wizard at developing vaccines, credited with saving 8 million children's lives around the world each year...
Clock is ticking on NY deadline for student vaccinations
September 1, 2019 GMTBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — When New York lawmakers revoked a religious exemption for mandatory school vaccinations, the change sent thousands of the state's parents scrambling to get their kids shots — or get them out of the classroom entirely...
‘Dramatic resurgence’ of measles seen in Europe, WHO reports
August 29, 2019 GMTLONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says there has been a "dramatic resurgence" of measles in Europe, in part fueled by vaccine refusals, with nearly 90,000 people sickened by the virus in the first half of 2019...
New York issues stricter rules on vaccine medical exemptions
August 16, 2019 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York health officials have issued emergency regulations restricting medical exemptions from vaccination for children attending school or child care...
Summer camp is newest front in battle with measles outbreak
June 16, 2019 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The battle to contain the worst U...
New York ends religious exemption to vaccine mandates
June 14, 2019 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York eliminated the religious exemption to vaccine requirements for schoolchildren Thursday, as the nation's worst measles outbreak in decades prompts states to reconsider giving parents ways to opt out of immunization rules...
US measles count nears 1,000, surpassing 25-year-old record
May 30, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 971 measles cases so far this year, the highest tally in 27 years, and experts say it's not clear when the wave of illnesses will stop...
9th measles case confirmed in Western Washington outbreak
May 29, 2019 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Health officials say a ninth case of the measles has been confirmed in a Western Washington outbreak. It marks the first time this month someone likely acquired the illness in a public place...
28 to remain on Scientology ship in Curacao in measles scare
May 12, 2019 GMTWILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP) — Authorities in Curacao announced Saturday that 17 crew members and 11 passengers must stay aboard a ship owned by the Church of Scientology that is under quarantine following a confirmed case of measles...
States seek to cut off religious exemptions for vaccination
May 6, 2019 GMTConnecticut's Attorney General gave state lawmakers the legal go-ahead Monday to pursue legislation that would prevent parents from exempting their children from vaccinations for religious reasons, a move that several states are considering amid a significant measles outbreak...
Ohio health department urges measles vaccine
May 5, 2019 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health is urging residents to ensure they're vaccinated for measles amid a resurgence of the highly contagious disease in the U.S.
Ohio hasn't had a reported case of measles since 2014, but cases have been confirmed this year in neighboring Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky.
Germany mulls fines to boost measles vaccination rates
May 5, 2019 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany's health minister is proposing fines for parents of school-age children who haven't been vaccinated for measles amid concern that the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease could make a comeback...
Curacao officials board Scientology ship in measles case
May 4, 2019 GMTWILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP) — Authorities in Curacao on Saturday boarded a ship that arrived under quarantine to start vaccinating people to prevent a measles outbreak...
Curacao to quarantine cruise ship for measles case
May 3, 2019 GMTWILLEMSTAD, Curacao (AP) — Authorities in Curacao announced Friday they will quarantine a ship with 300 people aboard that is heading to the Dutch Caribbean island after they were banned from disembarking in nearby St...
Over 1,000 quarantined in measles scare at LA universities
April 27, 2019 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — More than 1,000 students and staff members at two Los Angeles universities were quarantined on campus or sent home this week in one of the most sweeping efforts yet by public health authorities to contain the spread of measles in the U...
Vancouver-area measles outbreak could soon be over
April 26, 2019 GMTVANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The Vancouver-area measles outbreak may be drawing to a close.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Monday will be 42 days since the last case was diagnosed, which is the bar public health officials use to reasonably say a measles outbreak is over.
Quarantines at 2 LA universities amid US measles outbreak
April 26, 2019 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — More than 200 students and staff at two Los Angeles universities have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday...
California vaccine rules advance over emotional opposition
April 25, 2019 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers advanced tougher rules for vaccinations late Wednesday after hearing hours of testimony from hundreds of opponents while the nation grapples with the highest number of measles cases in decades...
US measles cases hit highest mark in 25 years
April 24, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Measles in the U.S. has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, closing in on 700 cases this year in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines...
South Sudan measles outbreak raises questions about vaccines
April 24, 2019 GMTKUAJOK, South Sudan (AP) — Despondent, Akon Mathiong points to two small mounds of dirt where she buried her grandsons, 4 and 5 years old, last month...
New York outbreaks drive US measles count up to 626
April 22, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Outbreaks in New York state continue to drive up the number of U.S. measles cases, which are approaching levels not seen in 25 years...
Measles outbreak kills more than 1,200 in Madagascar
April 14, 2019 GMTAMBALAVAO, Madagascar (AP) — Babies wail as a nurse tries to reassure mothers who have come to vaccinate their children against a measles outbreak that has killed more than 1,200 people in this island nation where many are desperately poor...
NYC orders mandatory vaccines for some amid measles outbreak
April 9, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Health officials Tuesday ordered nearly everyone in a heavily Orthodox Jewish New York City neighborhood to be vaccinated for measles or face fines, reviving a public-health strategy that experts say hasn't been used in the U...
Health officials: Confirmed measles cases at 39 in Michigan
April 5, 2019 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says five additional cases of measles bring to 39 the number confirmed in the state this year.
Measles count in US this year already more than all of 2018
April 1, 2019 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The number of U.S. measles cases through the first three months of this year have surpassed the count for all of 2018, health officials say...
Washington House passes bill limiting vaccine exemptions
March 6, 2019 GMTOLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — As health officials monitor an outbreak concentrated in southwest Washington, the state House approved a measure that would remove parents' ability to claim a personal or philosophical exemption to vaccinating their school-age children for measles...