Our work is based on science and trust, on our ability to communicate reliable information—and on having people believe that information is real. We help Tanzanians change their behaviors to protect themselves from malaria by laying out the advantages of sleeping under…
The Italian government has alarmed doctors and scientists by suspending 10 mandatory vaccinations for schoolchildren, including measles, tetanus and polio.
Vaccines’ disease-fighting super powers are clear. However, a successful rollout is not guaranteed. A lack of planning and political will can allow misinformation and scandals to destroy public confidence.
It’s a public health nightmare: 250,000 doses of substandard vaccines for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus administered to children through a government health program. While China has had scandals over tainted food or drugs before, this recent debacle threatens to…
Vaccine refusers in Brooklyn, New York catalyzed a 2013 measles outbreak that cost the city health department almost $400,000 and 10,000 man hours.
In Karachi, Pakistan—one of polio’s last strongholds—door-to-door vaccination campaigns arouse suspicion even among those who favor immunization. Rumors spread that the vaccine sterilizes children, fueled by mistrust of governments and international organizations. Their…
Anti-vaxxers in Australia are rearing up against a vaccine for Hendra, an agonizing disease as lethal as Ebola that mainly infects horses but can spread to humans. The equine vaccine is proven safe and effective against Hendra—spread by abundant fruit bats in the "Hendra…
Over the past decade, opportunities for students and trainees to travel internationally have grown substantially. Universities and non-profit organizations offer a variety of short-and long-term opportunities for global health research, practice, and cultural experience.…
A polio outbreak has been confirmed in Papua New Guinea—declared polio-free 18 years ago—after a case surfaced in a 6-year-old boy. The same virus was also isolated from stool specimens of 2 healthy children from the same community “representing an outbreak,” according to…
The DRC’s latest Ebola outbreak appears to be tapering off thanks to containment efforts that got out in front of the disease and overcame obstacles to reaching remote communities. What made this outbreak different than the 2014 epidemic, which killed 11,000 in West Africa…
