A combination of economic factors, health access and misinformation pushed childhood vaccination figures down to dangerous levels in recent years for many illnesses, including measles, experts said.
Vaccines
RSV fills hospitals with wheezing babies each fall and winter, and the virus struck earlier than usual and especially hard in the U.S. this past year.
Nearly nine out of 10 adults in the U.S. say that the benefits of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines outweigh the risks – a share that’s remained unchanged since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data published Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.
In a report issued Wednesday, the WHO and the CDC said millions of children were now susceptible to measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases. In 2021, officials said there were about 9 million measles infections and 128,000 deaths worldwide.
Pfizer announced Tuesday that a large international study found vaccinating moms-to-be was nearly 82% effective at preventing severe cases of RSV in their babies’ most vulnerable first 90 days of life. At age 6 months, the vaccine still was proving 69% effective against serious illness.
Rates were close to 94% for measles, whooping cough and chickenpox vaccinations for the 2020-21 school year. That was down 1% from a year earlier and means 35,000 U.S. children entered kindergarten without evidence that they were vaccinated for extremely contagious diseases, the CDC said in a report.
The Fourth District Appellate Court on Wednesday tossed out a temporary restraining order that had prevented CPS from taking employment action against a half dozen CPS educators who refused to comply with the school district’s vaccine requirements.
October is prime time for flu vaccinations, and the U.S. and Europe are gearing up for what experts hope is high demand as countries seek to avoid a “twindemic” with COVID-19.
With less than a month before school is back in session across Illinois, parents and guardians are encouraged to get their children up to date on their immunizations soon or face a possible school suspension.
Chicago’s been in the grip of an especially bad flu season this year, sending people to the hospital and keeping children home from school. We look at why influenza has been so difficult to fight.
At 38 percent, the HPV vaccination rate of teens in Chicago is higher than the national average of 28 percent. But the vaccination rate is still, too low.
Vaccinations for children have recently come up in the news with some celebrity moms opting out of vaccinating their kids and pointing to a potential relationship between additives in certain vaccines and autism. We talk with Dr. Adannia Enyioha of Rush University's Medical Center and Dr. Melanie Brown of Comer Children’s Hospital about vaccinations and the controversy surrounding the headlines. Read an article featuring voices from moms on both sides of the vaccination spectrum, and view a graphic of the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.
The Chicago Department of Public Health is ramping up its campaign to increase teenage HPV vaccination coverage. We talk vaccinations and disease prevention with the agency’s medical director, Dr. Julie Morita. Read an interview and view graphics on HPV.
Ventra & Flu Vaccines
We share what you had to say about the CTA's new Ventra fare card payment system and on new options available for flu vaccines in tonight’s viewer feedback.
