vaccination

Khadra Abdulle, a resident of St. Paul, stops to shop at the Riverside Market in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. It's the inaccurate information about a link between vaccines and autism, she says, that's keeping some well-meaning parents

Unfounded Autism Fears Are Fueling Minnesota's Measles Outbreak

11:33pm May 03, 2017

by Mark Zdechlik

State health officials are struggling to contain a measles outbreak that has sickened mostly Somali-American children. The vaccination rate is low in this tight community that's worried about autism.

Queue Listen Now

Researchers used online data to model the vaccination rate in communities affected by an outbreak of mumps in Arkansas.

Social Media, Math And The Mystery Of A Mumps Outbreak

8:33pm March 22, 2017

by Maimuna Majumder

Since August 2016, there have been nearly 3,000 cases of mumps diagnosed in Arkansas. A epidemiologist explains how her team used online data and mathematical modeling to understand the outbreak.

What Does Vaccinating Cows Have To Do With A Girl's Education?

4:41pm December 14, 2016

by Nurith Aizenman

A new study out of Kenya looks beyond the usual questions to determine the broader impact of protecting a farmer's livestock.

When Georgia Moore (second from left) was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, her parents, Trevor and Courtney Moore, worried about the germs her younger sister, Ivy, would bring home from school.

Texas Parents Have Unanswered Questions About School Vaccination Rates

11:57am November 18, 2016

by Anna Casey

Data about the number of unvaccinated kids in individual public schools aren't available to parents in Texas. Some of them are looking to change the reporting requirements.

A boy stands in line for a measles vaccination in the northern Central African Republic. More than half the cases of measles each year are reported in Africa and Asia.

The Americas Are Now Officially 'Measles-Free'

4:30pm September 28, 2016

by Diane Cole

But that doesn't mean no child in the region will ever catch measles again.

A Pakistani mourner sits alongside bodies of blast victims following a bombing near a polio vaccination center at a hospital in Quetta.

Why Terrorists Are Targeting 'Unsung Heroes'

2:45pm January 15, 2016

by Diane Cole

The bombing in Quetta, Pakistan, is the latest of several attacks on polio vaccination centers. We asked an expert to put the incident in context.

Polio survivors compete in a para-soccer tournament in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.

He Sometimes Crawled To School, He Plays Soccer On A Scooter

1:47pm November 02, 2015

by Anders Kelto

Polio paralyzed Sani Muntari as a child. That didn't keep him from school or off the soccer field. And he's played a key role in making Nigeria polio-free.

Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed a controversial vaccination bill into law on Tuesday.

California Governor Signs School Vaccination Law

4:09pm June 30, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

Starting July 1, 2016, all children enrolled in public or private schools or day cares in the state must be vaccinated, regardless of parents' religious and other personal beliefs.

A box of vaccine vials sits on a table during a Solano County health fair in 2010 in Vallejo, Calif.

California Law To Curtail Vaccine Exemptions Clears Hurdle

4:41pm June 26, 2015

by Rebecca Plevin

If the bill passes out of the Legislature, the bill would then move to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown. He hasn't indicated whether he'll sign the bill.

Health & Safety

Despite Recent Measles Outbreak, Resistance To Vaccinations Persists

5:08pm May 11, 2015

by Scott Hensley

Childhood vaccination remains a potent public health weapon against the spread of many illnesses, including measles. But an NPR poll finds objections and worries about vaccination remain, too.