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Measles

A nurse wears a white face mask as she holds a syringe in her hand

Samoa’s measles epidemic is part of a global, unprecedented resurgence of cases

Health & Medicine

Measles cases worldwide are surging at a record rate. “It’s tragic. Every single measles case is entirely preventable,” said Katrina Kretsinger, a measles specialist with the World Health Organization.

Two children are shown wearing matching stripped sweaters and running past a poster featuring a large stop sign.

Discussion: The measles outbreak — why vaccines matter

don't wait, vaccinate signs

Measles: Should vaccinations be compulsory?

Health & Medicine
An elderly Rohingya man in the Kutapalong camp in Bangladesh.

July’s monsoon will exacerbate a public health crisis in Rohingya refugee camps

Woman stands at front of meeting room with microphone, one man at table raises hand

In Minnesota, a measles outbreak exposes the gaps in public health

Health
Innoculation always prompts anxiety. Here's how France dealt with it three centuries ago.

How France used fashion to spread the message to vaccinate

Culture

In the 18th century, King Louis XVI underwent a highly controversial medical procedure: smallpox inoculation. To commemorate his new immunity, milliners in France concocted a new fashion. A historian says we need a gimmick like that today to help us through a measles outbreak.

A measles outbreak is taking hold in the US

A discredited British study helped create today’s anti-vaccine movement

Medicine

The doctor lost his license. His study was discredited and called appalling and dishonest. Yet his bogus research two decades ago keeps getting treated as evidence that vaccines are dangerous.

A girl receives anti-measles vaccination drops in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Mass national vaccination campaigns against measles and polio are common in much of the developing world.

A Nigerian writer mocks US disease concern, saying that Africa should screen Americans for measles

Health

The wildly popular tweet was aimed at a nation that stigmatized all Africans during the Ebola outbreak. While the US government recommends all its citizens get inoculations, including one for measles, many states allow exemptions for personal or philosophical concerns. Immigrants, however, don’t enjoy that choice.

Ten-month old Lauren Durbin receives an injection for measles, mumps and rubella. Typically children do not receive the MMR vaccine until they are 12 months old.

What Sweden can teach America about measles vaccinations

Health

Maybe Americans should take a cue from the Swedes, who sign up in droves for all sorts of optional vaccines, including measles immunizations. How did that happen? It was no accident.

Osman Chandab in Melbourne, Australia contracted whooping cough before getting vaccinated.

No matter where in the world you are, opting out of childhood vaccines can be a catastrophic choice

Health

The new NOVA special, “Vaccines: Calling the Shots,” explores the lingering global resistance to vaccination campaigns. Case studies from around the world explain just how bad the impact can be when groups opt out of childhood shots.

Latest Episode

Measles Cases Continue to Grow. Here’s How We Got Here.