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A central Ohio measles outbreak among children who were not fully vaccinated is now over, public health officials announced Saturday.

Columbus Health declared the outbreak finished with no new cases after a period of 42 days -- the equivalent of two measles virus incubation periods.

In all, ...

Vaccinations among kindergarteners declined for the second year in a row, leaving hundreds of thousands of young children vulnerable to dangerous infectious diseases, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

About 93% of kindergarteners had their required vaccinations during the 2021-2022 school year, including the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, polio and chick...

A measles outbreak in central Ohio has now infected at least 82 children.

Most of those impacted by the outbreak have been under the age of 5, state officials reported. Since details of the first measles cases were announced last month by Columbus Public H...

The pandemic's focus on vaccines may have had a big downside: While kids have long been required to get certain shots to attend public school, a growing number of their parents now oppose these requirements, a new poll finds.

About 35% of parents now say childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella should not be mandatory, up from 23% in 2019. Overall, 28% of adults nationwide say pa...

Roughly 25 million children around the world missed critical vaccinations during 2021, as the pandemic continued to disrupt routine medical care, a new report from the World Health Organization and UNICEF shows.

"This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immu...

Many kindergartners fell behind on their childhood vaccinations during the pandemic, U.S. health officials warned Thursday.

The drop has not been precipitous: About 94% of kindergarteners had their required vaccines during the 2020-2021 school year, a drop of about one percentage point and just below the 95% vaccination target, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a...

The world faces an increased risk of a measles outbreak because 22 million infants did not get their measles shots last year due to the pandemic, the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Wednesday.

They said that 3 million fewer infants were vaccinated against measles in 2020 than in 2019, and just 70% of infants received both doses of the t...

A single measles outbreak cost one U.S. county $3.4 million, a new government study estimates, underscoring the societal burden of inadequate vaccination rates.

The outbreak occurred in Clark County, Wash., in early 2019, and ultimately infected 71 people -- mostly children younger than 10 who hadn't received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The county's low MMR coverage is ...

They're medical miracles: A new report finds that vaccines against 10 major diseases prevented 37 million deaths between 2000 and 2019 in low- and middle-income countries worldwide, with young children benefiting most.

Vaccinations are also projected to prevent a total of 69 million deaths between 2000 and 2030, researchers say.

Their modeling study also shows that vaccination again...

A new clinical trial will try to determine whether the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine can protect health care workers from being infected with COVID-19.

Hundreds of millions of people have received the MMR vaccine since it was developed nearly 50 years ago. It's usually given to children before age 6. Growing evidence suggests that the vaccine may also prevent COVID-19.

After the COVID-19 pandemic had millions of New Yorkers in lockdown, the rate of routine child vaccinations plummeted -- as it did in cities across the United States.

That had pediatricians worried that a second wave of illness outbreaks -- measles, whooping cough, mumps -- might follow as large groups of kids were left vulnerable.

But a new report from the nation's largest ...

One-quarter of U.S. parents are hesitant about seasonal flu shots for their kids, and roughly 1 in 15 feel the same way about routine childhood vaccinations, a nationwide study finds.

The issue has gained added urgency this year, as fears around coronavirus keep many parents from bringing their kids to the doctor -- including routine vaccinations.

Twelve percent of the nearl...

In a finding that could help guide the response to the coronavirus pandemic, new research shows that a measles outbreak that struck New York City last year could have been much worse if the city had not launched a vaccine campaign.

The measles outbreak -- the largest in the United States in nearly three decades -- ultimately sickened 649 people. Most were children in a Brooklyn Orthod...

Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) are highly effective and do not cause autism, say researchers who reviewed 138 studies that included 23 million children.

"In terms of safety, we know from previous studies all around the world that the risks posed by these diseases far outweigh those of the vaccines administered to prevent them," said lead author Dr. Car...

Nearly 1 in 5 American adults has mistaken beliefs about vaccines, and misinformation is more common among those who rely on social media than on traditional media, a new study finds.

Researchers surveyed nearly 2,500 adults nationwide in the spring and fall of 2019, when the United States was dealing with its largest measles outbreak in decades, and found that up to 20% of respon...

Hepatitis, appendicitis and viral meningitis are among the serious complications that can occur when you get the measles, doctors warn in a new report.

The study -- which outlines cases involving three adults who developed major complications -- is also a reminder of the importance of vaccination against the illness.

Measles is highly contagious, but it's also easily prevent...

The scourge of addiction among Americans young and old made big headlines in 2019, as did one big change in heart health guidelines.

Here are the top health stories of the past year, as compiled by editors at HealthDay.

Vaping takes hold, and new dangers emerge

Perhaps no health issue dominated headlines this past year as much as the surge in vaping r...

If new research is any indication, tougher vaccine exemption laws work.

After California eliminated nonmedical exemptions from vaccinations in 2016, the number of children receiving recommended immunizations rose -- especially in counties where "vaccine hesitancy" runs high, a new analysis found.

The policy -- passed in response to outbreaks of measles and other "old" childh...

Many American kids aren't vaccinated against measles before they travel overseas to areas where the disease is endemic, a new study finds.

Nearly 60% of these children hadn't received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination before going abroad. This year, the more than 1,200 cases of measles reported in the United States were largely the result of people returning from trips ...

A surprising new study upends the notion that antibodies passed from mother to fetus protect infants from measles for as much as a year.

In fact, infants' immunity wanes much more rapidly than once thought, researchers report in the December issue of Pediatrics. The finding drives home the importance of community-wide immunizations.

"Measles is a serious disease, pa...

Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are on the across rise in the United States, often fueled by "anti-vaxxer" parents reluctant to immunize their kids.

However, states are countering these trends with laws to boost childhood vaccination rates and safeguard children, a new study finds.

"Vaccines are our best public health tool for controlling many childhood diseases," ...

People who contract measles aren't out of the woods after their rash fades and their fever subsides.

They're then more vulnerable to other bacterial and viral infections -- even those they've already been vaccinated against or have had before.

That's because measles virus attacks the cells that serve as the immune system's memory, wiping out established resistance to diseas...

There are gaps in immunity against mumps among college-aged Americans who were vaccinated in childhood, researchers say.

New findings show the need to learn more about the immune system response to mumps and mumps vaccination.

Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that can spread rapidly among people in close living quarters, such as college students and sports teams. I...

Texas cities are in danger of major measles outbreaks because an alarming number of school kids are unvaccinated, researchers warn.

Vaccination rates in the state have declined since 2003 and a computer simulation by University of Pittsburgh researchers found that an additional 5% decrease could increase the size of a measles outbreak by as much as 4,000% in some cities.

Preemies often lag behind full-term babies in getting routine vaccinations -- and the difference remains at age 3, a new study finds.

Misguided parental "hesitancy" over the safety of vaccines for preemies might be to blame, researchers said.

The study found that preterm babies were less likely to be up-to-date on seven recommended vaccines by 19 months of age. More than hal...

Due to waning vaccination levels in some areas, measles outbreaks are back with a vengeance.

But many globe-trotting Americans may not realize the problem is worldwide. Therefore, making sure your measles vaccination is up to date is paramount before jetting off.

In fact, U.S. outbreaks of measles "are usually started by foreign travelers importing the virus to the U.S.," ac...

As Europe deals with its biggest measles outbreaks since the 1990s, U.S. health officials are urging travelers to be up-to-date on vaccination.

In 2018, European countries reported more than 83,500 measles cases, including 74 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A majority of cases were in the Ukraine, but Serbia, France, Italy, Greece, the Russian Federation and ...

This is only the fifth month of 2019, but already the number of measles cases surpass the totals for any year since 1992, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

By the end of May, 971 cases of the highly contagious, vaccine-preventable illness have been recorded, topping the 963 total annual cases seen 27 years ago.

Most of this year's cases...

As measles outbreaks rage in many parts of the United States, one expert has advice for parents on how to protect their children from the disease.

On Monday, U.S. health officials reported that measles cases have now climbed to 839 in 2019, the highest yearly total in 25 years. Infections have been confirmed in 23 states, with many of the cases showing up in unvaccinated people in Ort...

Could a computer model pinpoint where measles outbreaks are likely to occur?

That's exactly what researchers did, accurately predicting some of the U.S. regions where measles might spread. Their predictions included counties in New York, Washington state and Oregon, where measles outbreaks are already raging. In total, 25 counties were identified as measles-prone.

Not only t...

New York's ongoing measles epidemic alarmed midtown Manhattan resident Deb Ivanhoe, who couldn't remember whether she'd ever been vaccinated as a child.

So Ivanhoe, 60, sought out her long-time primary care doctor, who performed an antibody test to see whether she had any protection against measles.

To her surprise, the test revealed that Ivanhoe had no immunity to measles. ...

As the once-vanquished measles virus continues to spread through U.S. communities, federal health officials on Monday urged up-to-date vaccination for children and some adults.

There are now 704 reported cases of measles across 22 states, mostly affecting people who have not been vaccinated against the virus, said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

"This is ...

As measles outbreaks spread across the United States, there are a number of things parents need to know, a leading pediatricians' group says.

The most important is to make sure your children are fully protected against the disease, which can be deadly, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised. Only the measles vaccine can do that.

The United States is in the middle o...

Measles cases in the United States have now reached 695 -- the highest since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Wednesday.

Outbreaks are occurring across the country, often linked to the "anti-vaccination" movement. One of the largest outbreaks is in New York City, where 61 new cases were reported this week.<...

A public health emergency has been declared in New York City as it grapples withone of the largest measles outbreaks in decades, whichis centered in theultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn.

Unvaccinated people living in certain ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will have to get the measles vaccine, and those who do not comply will be issued violations and possibly fines, May...

Anti-vaccination campaigns abound on social media, but the people involved are not necessarily driven by any single motivation, a new study suggests.

Instead, researchers say, people who voice their anti-vaccine sentiments online range from conspiracy theorists to parents who have safety worries or interests in alternative medicine.

The investigators came to that conclusion ...

Amid ongoing U.S. measles outbreaks, one of the largest studies to date provides fresh evidence that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine does not cause autism.

Danish researchers found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, even when they focused on children at greater risk for developing autism.

"In a study of more than 650,000 Danish children, there was no di...

Even though California enacted tough legislation in 2016 barring "personal belief" exemptions for childhood vaccinations, some parents may be turning to unethical physicians to circumvent the new law.

And that could be fueling new and dangerous measles outbreaks in the state, a new study finds.

In a report on one such outbreak occurring early in 2018, "the six unvaccinated p...

Measles outbreaks across the United States -- including one in Washington state where 50 cases have now been identified -- have again shone the spotlight on parents who resist getting kids vaccinated.

These outbreaks are a clear sign of the fraying of "herd immunity," the overall protection found when a large majority of a population has become immune to a disease, said Dr. Paul Offit...