Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health will bring together experts next week to discuss the history of the measles virus, the efficacy of the vaccine, barriers to implementation, and the public health impact of the current measles outbreak in the U.S.
The symposium, titled "Measles Rises Again: The Science and Policy of a Preventable Outbreak," comes amid a measles outbreak that originated at California's Disneyland in mid-December and has now sickened more than 100 people in 14 states, most of whom had not been vaccinated.
Measles was all but eradicated in the U.S. more than a decade ago thanks to successful vaccination campaigns. But as the severity of the disease became a more distant memory, an increasing number of parents have been opting not to vaccinate their kids.
The School of Public Health event will take place Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Sommer Hall at the Bloomberg School in East Baltimore (registration begins at 8:30 a.m.). A livestream broadcast will be available.
Confirmed speakers include retired U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman; ABC chief health and medical editor Richard Besser; and several experts from the Bloomberg School—Neal Halsey, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety; Daniel Salmon, deputy director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety; Diane Griffin, professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; and Josh Sharfstein, associate dean for public health practice and training.
A full agenda is available online. More information is available at http://www.jhsph.edu/measles2015.
Posted in Health
Tagged public health, epidemiology, vaccines, measles
