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outbreak

Thursday April 12, 2018

Hilary Fung/NPR

Yellow Fever Encroaches Megacities, Straining Global Vaccine Supply

April 12, 2018 • Brazil has launched a massive vaccination campaign to protect against a disease that has killed hundreds of people. But it's facing huge challenges, including a shortage of the yellow fever vaccine.

Yellow Fever Encroaches Megacities, Straining Global Vaccine Supply

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Tuesday February 20, 2018

Europe Saw Fourfold Increase In Measles Cases In 2017

A measles vaccine, such as the one shown here from a Los Angeles clinic, is highly effective in preventing the spread of measles. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters hide caption

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Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Europe Saw Fourfold Increase In Measles Cases In 2017

February 20, 2018 • In 2017, the disease affected 21,315 people, compared to 5,273 in 2016. Last year, 35 people died in Europe because of measles. The World Health Organization says unvaccinated people are a factor.

Monday February 5, 2018

Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water

Scientists say low chlorine levels in Flint's water system during the city's water crisis in 2014 and 2015 led the bacterium Legionella pneumophila to proliferate, causing a deadly outbreak of Legionnaire's disease. Science Source hide caption

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Science Source

Shots - Health News

Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water

February 5, 2018 • Two new studies confirm that an outbreak of deadly Legionnaires' disease in Flint, Mich., was caused by the city's water crisis in 2014 and 2015.

Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water

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Wednesday October 4, 2017

Why 'Plague Season' Is A Big Worry In Madagascar This Year

Workers spray to kill fleas in a public school in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital. A bite from an infected flea can spread the plague, which has stricken 157 people in the island nation since August. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

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Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Why 'Plague Season' Is A Big Worry In Madagascar This Year

October 4, 2017 • The number of cases has prompted a ban on public gatherings — and concern from the World Health Organization. The disease is spreading in cities and has claimed 30 lives so far.

Sunday February 7, 2016

Do You Know What 'Vector' And 'Endemic' Mean? We Can Help — Sort Of

Katherine Du/NPR

Goats and Soda

Do You Know What 'Vector' And 'Endemic' Mean? We Can Help — Sort Of

February 7, 2016 • When it comes to talking about infectious diseases, researchers have their own special jargon. But even they aren't always 100 percent sure of the definitions.

Tuesday April 21, 2015

Iowa Farm To Kill 5 Million Chickens In Effort To Contain Avian Flu

A farm in Iowa plans to slaughter more than five million chickens in response to an outbreak of bird flu. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption

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Charlie Neibergall/AP

The Two-Way

Iowa Farm To Kill 5 Million Chickens In Effort To Contain Avian Flu

April 21, 2015 • This is the worst outbreak since the H5N2 influenza was first detected in December. The disease has been found in seven other states over the past five months.

Thursday August 14, 2014

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

Kenyan health officials take the temperatures of passengers arriving at the Nairobi airport on Thursday. Kenya has no reported cases of Ebola, but it's a transportation hub and so is on alert. Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

August 14, 2014 • As the Ebola outbreak rages in West Africa, it is also unfolding — in a virtual sense — inside the computers of scientists trying to predict how far the outbreak will spread and when it will end.

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

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Thursday December 12, 2013

Why Meningitis That Hit Princeton Is Hard To Beat With Vaccines

Developing a vaccine for meningitis B was tricky. Even the existing vaccine doesn't protect against all B strains. Josef Muellek/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Josef Muellek/iStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

Why Meningitis That Hit Princeton Is Hard To Beat With Vaccines

December 12, 2013 • It turns out that the bacteria that are responsible meningitis B have a sugar coating that makes them look a lot like human cells. That similarity makes development of a vaccine against the germs especially tricky.