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In a small trial, an experimental vaccine protected 100 percent of people at high risk for Ebola. But more data are needed to figure out exactly how well the vaccine works. The study was published last week in the journal The Lancet.
Read more at NPR.org.
Sean Hawkey
The trial of the VSV-EBOV vaccine was called Ebola ça Suffit — French for “Ebola that’s enough.” Researchers say it’s both effective and quick, with no new Ebola cases 6 days after vaccination. The findings were published in The Lancet medical journal on Friday.
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It took 15 years and 250 million vaccines, but this week, health authorities officially declared North America and South America free of rubella — a virus that can cause severe birth defects.
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When the U.S. introduced the measles vaccine, childhood deaths from all infections plummeted. Scientists think they might know why: Benefits of the measles vaccine go way beyond the measles.
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The quick rise of measles infections in the wake of cases reported among Disneyland visitors underscores how even a small dip in vaccination rates can allow the virus to spread.
Read more at NPR.org.
![health official speculate that an internationl visitor to Disneyland California Adventure Park and Disneyland must have spread measles there](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/01/08/disneyland_wide-f0a72df9b2f583f21e47aff6bd218aba6cde411a-s700-c85.jpg)
A measles outbreak linked to Disneyland has nearly doubled in size since last week with 45 reported cases in California and seven more illnesses confirmed in at least three other states and Mexico. A contagious disease expert contends that the recent spread of measles is being fueled by a portion of parents who refused to vaccinate their children — an estimated one in 10 people today is perhaps susceptible to the virus.
Measles is very infectious because it spreads through the air, so you can catch it by standing next to someone who is infected. Initial measles symptoms include fever, cough, running nose and red eyes. After a few days, a red rash appears on the face and then spreads downward to the rest of the body. Measles can be serious and even fatal for small children.
Read more at NBCNews.com.
![Snapshot closeup of new CA vaccine exemption form with unexpected religious exemption box highlighted](http://sites.tufts.edu/greatdiseases/files/2013/11/ca.vaccine.exemption.form_.snapshot.highlighted.png)
Closeup of new California ‘Vaccine Exemption’ form with the religious exemption option highlighted.
NPR has the story of How A California Law To Encourage Vaccination Could Backfire. A new form intended to require all parents to talk through vaccination risks and benefits with a health care provider before exempting their children includes an unexpected exemption of its own – one that challenges the law itself.