Vaccine refusal : NPR

Why A Court Once Ordered Kids Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Will

Measles is highly contagious, and it produces fever and rash in susceptible people who become infected. Hazel Appleton/Health Protection Agency Centre/Science Source hide caption

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Hazel Appleton/Health Protection Agency Centre/Science Source

Why A Court Once Ordered Kids Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Will

February 19, 2015 • Measles infected hundreds of children at a Philadelphia church whose members didn't believe in modern medicine. In a rare step, health officials moved to compel the families to vaccinate the kids.

Why A Court Once Ordered Kids Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Will

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To Protect His Son, A Father Asks School To Bar Unvaccinated Children

Rhett Krawitt, 6, outside his school in Tiburon, Calif. Seven percent of the children in his school are not vaccinated. Courtesy of Carl Krawitt hide caption

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Courtesy of Carl Krawitt

To Protect His Son, A Father Asks School To Bar Unvaccinated Children

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January 27, 2015 • A 6-year-old can't be vaccinated against measles because he is recovering from leukemia. He faces a higher risk because parents at his California school have chosen not to vaccinate their kids.

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Parents Who Shun Vaccines Tend To Cluster, Boosting Children's Risk

January 20, 2015 • Parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated live near others who do the same, a study finds. That increases the risk that children will become infected, even if they've had their shots.

Family Tree Of Pertussis Traced, Could Lead To Better Vaccine

False-color transmission electron micrograph of a field of whooping cough bacteria, Bordetella pertussis. A. Barry Dowsett/Science Source hide caption

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A. Barry Dowsett/Science Source

Family Tree Of Pertussis Traced, Could Lead To Better Vaccine

April 25, 2014 • Scientists tracking the ancestry of whooping cough say it arose abruptly in humans about 500 years ago, caused by a mutated bacterium that once lived only in animals. Genetic tricks helped it spread.

Family Tree Of Pertussis Traced, Could Lead To Better Vaccine

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A Measles Outbreak In The Philippines Travels To The U.S.

There today, here tomorrow: A mother holds her child for a measles vaccination in Manila, Philippines, in January. Travelers are bringing measles from the Philippines to the United States. Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images

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A Measles Outbreak In The Philippines Travels To The U.S.

April 24, 2014 • International travel is one reason why the number of measles cases in the U.S. has spiked this year. But the number of people who refuse to get their children vaccinated is a factor, too.