Tag Archives: children

Michael Douglas’ interview: Can you get throat cancer from oral sex?

The Guardian newspaper published an interview with Michael Douglas on Sunday, in which the 68-year-old actor said his throat cancer hadn’t been caused by drinking or smoking – but by having oral sex. “Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus,” Douglas told the British newspaper.  Douglas also went on to speculate that the stress of his son Cameron’s incarceration might have helped trigger the cancer as well. While a representative for Douglas maintains the actor did not specifically say oral sex was the cause of his cancer, the conversation still begs the question: Does having oral sex play a role in the development of oral cancer? While a connection between the two may seem bizarre, it is very possible that some oral cancers are the end result of intimate sexual contact. Rates of oral cancer – sometimes referred to as head and neck cancers – have been on the rise over the past decade.  While the main risk factors for oral cancers typically include drinking alcohol and smoking, around 25 percent of mouth and 35 percent of throat cancers are related to human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. “(HPV) is present within the fluids that are part of oral sexual behavior,” Dr. Marshall Posner, director of the head and neck oncology program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told FoxNews.com. “The vaginal fluids and semen will contain epithelial cells that have the virus on them and also free viral particles that can cause infection.” HPV cannot be transmitted through blood contact, but Posner said it may be possible to contract the virus from the direct contact of fluids through kissing. This can occur if an individual kisses someone who previously performed oral sex on someone else who had the virus. “If the virus is present in the oral pharynx and if it gets secreted in the saliva, then the saliva will contain potentially dangerous viral particles,” Posner said. There are more than 100 different types of HPV, and nearly everyone contracts some form of the virus in their youth.  Fortunately, the majority of HPV strains do not cause any symptoms, and in 90 percent of cases, the infection is naturally eradicated from the body within two years. However, some HPV types can cause genital warts, while others may lead to certain cancers in rare cases. HPV 16 and HPV 18 – which are sexually transmitted – are most closely associated with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer. According to Posner, 3 percent of adult males and 1 percent of adult females will have detectable HPV 16 in their saliva at any given moment in time.  However, just because HPV is detected in a sample of someone with oral cancer does not necessarily mean HPV caused the cancer.  According to the National Health Service in Britain, the virus becomes part of the pre-existing cancer cells’ genetic material, fostering the cells to grow. Oropharyngeal cancer symptoms include a lump in the back of the throat or mouth, pain in the ear or back of tongue, and difficulty swallowing. While the prognosis for HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer is around 40 to 50 percent, the survival outcomes are generally better for HPV-positive cancers, ranging from 80 to 95 percent.  However, that prognosis is affected by drinking and smoking, which may have been a problem for Douglas. In the United States, HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer represents 60 percent of the total number of orapharyngeal cancer cases, which equal to about 15,000 per year.  Posner estimated that those cases will increase to 20,000 a year by the year 2015. While researchers cannot fully explain the rising rates of these cancers, one of the biggest risk factor for contracting HPV-positive oroharyngeal cancer includes having a high number of sexual partners, Posner said. “In smoking cigarettes and cancer, it doesn’t matter what brands you smoked, it matters how many you smoked,” Posner said.  “With HPV, it’s about the number of ‘brands’ you’ve been involved with. If you have numerous partners, you have a much higher risk of developing cancer. So (monogamous) people should go ahead and have the same intimate and personal relationship that they have with their partners and not be worried about it.” For those looking to protect themselves from contracting dangerous forms of HPV, practicing safe sex by using protection such as condoms and dental dams may help to diminish the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.  Posner also called for parents to get their children – including young boys –vaccinated against HPV. “I think people should make every effort to have children vaccinated, so I don’t have to treat this in the future,” Posner said.  I think it’s very important and to cure cancer we have to support research – it’s the best way we have to figure out how to cure this. Click to learn more about HPV from Mount Sinai Hospital.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/03/michael-douglass-reveal-can-get-throat-cancer-from-oral-sex/

5 awesome hotels for moms traveling with kids

Planning a vacation with your family this summer?  It’s never been easier with hotels and resorts offering special mom and kid friendly amenities to make traveling a little less stressful. According to Corinne McDermott, a travel agent and founder of the website havebabywilltravel.com, many destinations are wising up to the fact that women are waiting to have children later in life, and “once the children come along, they don’t necessarily want to give up everything they enjoyed pre-kids,” she said. Check out some hotels that are making trip planning a little easier and vacations more fun for the whole family. 1. The Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach in Florida is an all-suite hotel that offers full kitchens, climate-controlled poolside cabanas with flat-screen TVs, private restrooms, Wi-Fi and call-button service for refreshments. Camp Hyatt offers daily activities and adventures, and the Toy Box program provides a variety of age-appropriate toys and games for kids to choose from. The hotel also offers the Babies Travel Lite program which provides vacationers with everything from diapers and wipes to cribs, strollers, and baby food. Babysitting is also available. 2. If you’re breastfeeding or need a place to pump, the Nursing Mothers Amenity program at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago has you covered. For just $30, the hotel provides a Medela hospital grade breast pump – a breastfeeding accessory starter set which includes the Quick Clean™ Micro Steam™ bags, Quick Clean Wipes, Pump and Save™ Bags and disposable bra pads.  The hotel also offers an in-room microwave, mini-refrigerator, ice packs and mini cooler bags. Plus, they’ll even FedEx your milk home. All proceeds from the program benefit local families with children in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital. 3. The Four Seasons Resort in Vail, Colo., caters to the littlest traveler with amenities like a mini-refrigerator, a microwave, a bottle warmer, sterilizer and cleaning brush, a step stool, baby bathtub, crib, a pack and play, or a toddler bed. Is it nap time

Bicycle helmet laws linked to fewer child deaths

U.S. states that require children and teenagers to wear helmets report fewer deaths involving bicycles and cars, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed the number of U.S. bicycle deaths between 1999 and 2010 and found that states with bicycle helmet laws reported about 20 percent fewer bike-related fatalities among people younger than 16 years old. “The impetus is that when you make it a law, parents realize it's important and parents get their kids to do it,” said Dr. William Meehan, the study's lead author from Boston Children's Hospital. About 900 people die as a result of bicycle crashes every year in the U.S. and about three quarters of those are from head injuries, according to Meehan and his colleagues. Previous research has found that wearing a helmet may reduce a person's risk of a head or brain injury by up to 88 percent, but few studies have looked at the effect of helmet laws on national injury and fatality rates. Using a national database that tracks the number of traffic-related deaths in the U.S., the researchers compared the number of children and teenagers killed while riding their bicycles in the 16 states that enacted helmet laws around the start of the study in 1999 to states without helmet laws. In 1999, only 16 states had helmet laws and the overall rate of bicycle-related child deaths in the U.S. was 4 per million. Between January 1999 and December 2010, there were 1,612 bicycle-related deaths among children younger than 16 years old, the researchers found. During that time, states with helmet laws had 2 bicycle-related deaths for every 1 million children younger than 16 years old. That compares to 2.5 deaths for every 1 million children in states without helmet laws. After adjusting for other state characteristics known to be associated with traffic-related deaths - such as household income, and drunk or elderly driving laws - the states with helmet laws still had fewer reported deaths in that age group. “We would recommend that any state that doesn't have a mandatory bicycle helmet law for children consider one or institute one,” Meehan said. Dr. Frederick Rivara, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, said it's nice that the new study shows states with helmet laws report fewer deaths, but he said it's important to remember that helmets can also prevent serious injuries. “Bicycle fatalities represent only the very tip of the iceberg,” said Rivara, who has studied bicycle helmet safety but was not involved with the new research. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children wear a helmet approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission every time they ride a bicycle. “Helmets are very effective. They're cheap, they're light, they're comfortable and they work,” Rivara said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/bicycle-helmet-laws-linked-to-fewer-child-deaths/

Infantile myofibromatosis: First drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder

IM is an inheritied disorder that develops in infancy or even in utero and tumors continue to present throughout life. The tumors do not metastasize, but can grow large enough to invade the tissue surrounding them causing physical limitations, disfiguration, bone destruction, intestitinal obstruction, and even death. …

New screening approach uncovers potential alternative drug therapies for neuroblastoma

"New treatment approaches are very much needed for children with high-risk childhood cancers; that is, those that are metastatic at diagnosis and likely to recur," says senior study author Kimberly Stegmaier of the Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center and the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. "By focusing on an alternative strategy to treating neuroblastoma tumors, we identified a compound class that in early testing in neuroblastoma cells in the laboratory shows promise for treating children with this disease." Beyond the standard approach of using drugs that kill tumor cells, another promising strategy is to identify compounds that promote differentiation, which causes tumor cells to stop dividing and growing. But the benefits of differentiation therapy had not been fully explored. …

Soulumination: Non-profit photographs terminally ill children for families

In 1996, Lynette Johnson, a professional photographer, was approached by her sister-in-law Sally Elliot with a difficult request.  Elliot’s daughter and Johnson’s niece, Lanie, had been stillborn and Elliot wanted Johnson to take a picture of her before her funeral. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Johnson, 59, based out of Seattle, Wash., told FoxNews.com.  “But I’m so glad I did it.” The memory of the experience stuck with Johnson, and a few years later, while shooting pictures for a wedding, the bride mentioned to Johnson that she worked for the palliative care unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital.  Johnson immediately thought back to her niece and offered to come by the hospital to take pictures for the patients’ families. “I just blurted out I would do this free of charge,” Johnson said. “It seemed like the least I could do to give back to the community.” What started as a small favor quickly blossomed into a thriving non-profit photography initiative called Soulumination.  Through the enterprise, Johnson and other volunteer photographers take professional photographs of children under the age of 18 who are facing life-threatening conditions, providing families with lasting keepsakes and “an enduring, positive record of the child’s life.” Initially, Johnson was the non-profit’s sole photographer, taking photographs of children in the greater Seattle area.  But since Soulumination’s inception, the organization has now grown to encompass more than 40 photographers and over 120 community volunteers, who help serve families across the country. “We don’t just take their photos; they get beautiful handmade albums too,” Johnson said. “But every person who is at the shoot gets their own personal one.  The mother even gets a bracelet with the child’s photo she can wear.” Johnson has now photographed hundreds of patients, including children with terminal cancer, heart disease, issues stemming from premature birth, Tay-Sachs disease and severe seizure disorders. When she first started Soulumination, Johnson said many of her friends and family would express amazement at how she was able to surround herself with such grief and pain.  But while it’s been emotionally difficult at times, she and the others continue the project without hesitation. “Once you do it, the sadness and grief in some ways feel almost unbearable, but almost every photographer says, ‘Yes, that was hard, but I’ll do it again,’” Johnson said.  “There’s just no doubt about it; it’s the right thing to do.” Johnson said that every family she has worked with has had a positive experience with the photo shoots, and not one parent has ever expressed regret over having pictures taken.  She noted that some families were hesitant to have the photographs done, as they felt it meant they were stepping into the dying process of their children.  However, Soulumination has photographed many children who do survive their illnesses. The photographs are more about honoring the individual than saying goodbye. “It means a great deal to us all,” said one Seattle mother whose daughter has been battling leukemia since 2003.  “Mainly to have the images and see [our daughter’s] expressions captured…It gives me a sense of peace to hang her and [her sister’s] pictures and make them a part of our world as it is now. So when it changes it will be there.” Soulumination operates purely on outside donations and the unpaid skills of the organization’s many photographers.  Johnson said that their work generates a fair amount of monetary contributions from people they come into contact with at the hospital or through photo shoots. She recalled a time when she took photos of a young teenage girl named Sidney, who suffered from a terminal brain tumor.  A few months after Sidney’s funeral, Johnson said she received a thick envelope in the mail. “It was a handmade card from Sidney’s mother, and she explains it’s from the last time she took an art class with Sidney,” Johnson recalled. “There was also a check in there for $1,200, and she said it was Sidney’s savings account and she knew she wanted me to have it so we could service other people. We have hundreds of heart felt ‘Thank You’s’ like that.” Johnson vows to keep Soulumination running as long as possible, and she said she has spoken with other photographers interested in starting similar initiatives in other states – and even other countries.  According to her, the project’s success must be credited to the many people who have graciously donated their money and talents to help preserve the legacies of so many children. “I’m proud of it, and I’m unbelievably thankful for the photographers,” Johnson said.  “We’re a little group that started and has now blossomed into something with national attention. The loss of my niece, which was so devastating, in her memory this thing started that will offer hope to people all over the world.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/23/soulumination-non-profit-photographs-terminally-ill-children-for-families/

Terminal teen whose farewell song became web hit dies of cancer

A Minnesota teenager whose farewell song “Clouds” became an Internet sensation with nearly 3 million views on YouTube died Monday after battling a rare form of bone cancer, his family announced. Zach Sobiech, of Lakeland, died at his home, surrounded by family and his girlfriend, according to a CaringBridge post by his mother, Laura Sobiech. He was 18. Zach Sobiech's family declined a request for an interview from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, but released a statement announcing his passing. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our son Zachary David Sobiech. Our family has been blessed not only by his amazing presence in our lives, but also by the love and support of our family and friends and by so many people in the community. In particular we'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world,” the statement said. Sobiech began writing songs of farewell to family and friends last fall. His first song, the catchy “Clouds,” inspired tributes and covers, including a celebrity video. Sobiech was told in June 2012 that he had months — perhaps a year — to live. When a scan in October showed about 20 new lesions in his lungs, Sobiech's mother suggested he start writing letters to say goodbye. “I'm not good at writing letters,” Sobiech told the Pioneer Press in December. “So I figured instead, I could just write songs for people, and they might be around longer. It's more powerful than writing a letter because a song can get stuck in your head. You find yourself humming it during the day.” In February, Rock the Cause digitally released Sobiech's album, “Fix Me Up,” which he co-wrote with bandmate Samantha “Sammy” Brown, and he flew to New York, where he signed with BMI, a music-rights management company that will collect royalties for him. Proceeds from the sale of “Clouds” and Sobiech's other songs also are going to the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund. In addition to raising money for the fund in his name at the Children's Cancer Research Fund, Sobiech worked to raise awareness for children suffering from his rare form of cancer. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Zach's family and friends,” said John Hallberg, the fund's CEO. “Zach Sobiech faced his cancer diagnosis with grace and strength. His music touched millions, and he leaves a lasting legacy that will help other young cancer patients through the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund. Zach once said, 'You don't have to find out you're dying to start living.' He taught us all how to live, and we are all better for having known him.” Sobiech, who would have graduated from Stillwater Area High School on June 8, received his diploma early — through his family at his house in late April, according to Lind Moncrief, assistant to the principal at the high school. Counselors and support services are available for students at the school. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Church of St. Michael in Stillwater.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/21/terminal-teen-whose-farewell-song-became-web-hit-dies-cancer/

‘Who’ Cares: Roger Daltrey helps teens with cancer

As the legendary front man of The Who, Roger Daltrey has been entertaining fans across the globe for decades – but his latest project goes beyond the music, and into the lives of some very special fans here in America: Cancer patients. “I've been supporting a charity called Teenage Cancer Trust, which was started by my doctor, who recognized, within our system of medical care, that the age group from 13-25 are very, very specific,” Daltrey told FoxNews.com. “They are not children, and they are not adults – and if they are unfortunate enough to get cancer, they tend to suffer some of the most aggressive cancers.” I had the incredible opportunity to sit down and talk with Daltrey about his efforts with Teenage Cancer Trust the UK for more than 15 years, and how he’s bringing that same passion ‘across the pond’ with Teen Cancer America. Here in the U.S., many patients under the age of 18 end up in children’s hospitals when they are diagnosed with cancer. And while we do have some of the best children’s hospitals in the world, for teens and young adults – their treatment regimen may need some tweaking for the best outcome. “When you look at children's hospitals, to be honest, you have fabulous medicine here (in the U.S.), you have fabulous hospitals, and I've looked around quite a few now, and I've found it very difficult to find anything that is actually teenage-friendly,” said Daltrey. “And so it's our ambition and our mission, to, to make Teen Cancer America a gold standard – a stamp of approval.” Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK and Teen Cancer America work with hospitals to provide physical and psychological support to patients going through treatment for various forms of cancer. And since the program started 23 years ago in the UK, doctors have seen the benefits of making treatment programs age-appropriate. As a practicing physician, I believe there are two basic components to successful health and healing. One of them is physical medicine – whether you're talking about surgery, drugs, etc. – and the other part of it is the patient’s mindset. If a patient is not in an environment that puts him or her in a positive mindset, the outcome often suffers drastically. “It's the quality of life that we should be worrying about – not just the cure,” said Daltrey. “And while you're going through it, especially for this age group, um, because they've got educational problems, they're right in the middle of their exams, you know, they're whole future's kind of been taken away from them – it's enormous pressures.” Teen Cancer Trust has already opened up 25 centers throughout the UK and is currently working on nine others. Here in the U.S., with the help his bandmate, Pete Townshend, Daltrey opened the first U.S. facility at UCLA Medical Center.   “It's a very different system than you've got here where um, the ones that we have got, they've given us space in hospitals and we've then provided the services,” Daltrey told FoxNews.com. “So when you look at the kind of finances of this, it's a cheap end, it's a cheap outlay for a very big result.” Daltrey noted that some medical centers like Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Hospital of Cleveland are in talks with Teen Cancer America to bring teen facilities to their cancer centers, and Yale Cancer Center has already started an outpatient service for teens. For more information visit TeenCancerAmerica.org.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/20/who-cares-roger-daltrey-helps-teens-with-cancer/

Genetic testing guidelines under fire

If you underwent a genetic test for a heart condition, but the test also revealed that you have a high risk of colon cancer, would you want to know? A respected scientific society says your doctor should tell you, but the group is receiving criticism for its recommendation that “incidental findings” of genetic tests be shared with patients. Incidental findings are unexpected results, unrelated to the reason for testing. What to do with these findings has been a controversial issue for adults undergoing genetic testing, as well as children. In March, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) released guidelines saying that when patients receive genetic testing for any medical reason, they should be screened for mutations in an additional 57 genes, including mutations that strongly increase the risk of breast, ovarian and colon cancer. The ACMG argues that doctors have an obligation to look for and report these mutations because there are ways that people can act to reduce their of developing a medical disorder. However, some researchers and bioethicists say the new recommendations go too far, and take away patients' rights to refuse medical information they do not wish to know. Informed consent A crucial part of genetic testing ethics is ensuring that patients understand what a test might find, and what those findings could mean for future treatment. Under the new recommendations, a patient who consents to any genetic test is consenting to be screened for mutations in an additional 57 genes. Some bioethicists take issue with this approach, because patients may not wish to know their results for all of these genes. A positive result for any one of these mutations may increase patients' anxiety, or cause them to live their life differently, said Susan Wolf, a professor of law, medicine and public policy at the University of Minnesota. Under the new guidelines, “unless they are willing to have this extra analysis done, the only option is to walk away from the sequencings altogether,” Wolf said. “It's all or nothing.” Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University School of Medicine's Division of Medical Ethics, agreed that patients should have an opportunity to refuse. “People do not have any obligations to accept any findings that they hadnt been expecting,” Caplan said. And even calling such findings “incidental” is a misnomer, Wolf said, because under the new guidelines, researchers have to actively test for these gene mutations. What about kids? Earlier this year, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the AMCG advised that children not be screened for genetic conditions that occur in adulthood (such as breast cancer), unless some action in childhood can lower the risk of disease or death. Children should wait until they are at least 18 years old to decide if they want to know their risk, the guidelines say. But under the new recommendations, children should be informed about any findings from the extra screening, including those that relate to adult disorders. Supporters of the new recommendations say that they are not at odds with earlier guidelines. Dr. Robert Green, of Harvard Medical School, and colleagues, wrote in the May 16 issue of the journal Science that if doctors are screening a child for a genetic disease that occurs in adulthood, the child would presumably have a family history of the disease. With incidental findings, no other family members, including the child, would be known to be at risk. So reporting an incidental finding could alert the child, as well as other family members including adults, to their risk of a certain condition, Green said. But others disagree, saying the new recommendations contradict earlier guidelines, and are not in children's best interest. “You've deprived the child of their own choice later as an adult,” Wolf said. Practical issues The guidelines also say that patients should be counseled about the implications of genetic testing before the test is ordered. But some argue that discussing all 57 genes would be demanding. “That is going to be a rather time consuming process,” said Dr. Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Wolf and others are calling on the AMCG to reconsider the new guidelines. The AMCG says that the guidelines will be reviewed yearly and updated in light of new evidence. But in the meantime, doctors are in a bind about what to do when screening patients. “It really creates a big dilemma because, when an organization like the AMCG makes a recommendation, it's seen as establishing a standard of care,” Ostrer said. If doctors don't follow the guidelines, patients could sue for malpractice if it turns out they are a carrier of a mutation that the additional screening would have caught, Ostrer said. Ostrer said he would like to see more evidence about how patients respond to being told about incidental findings. Studies looking at this question are being carried out now, he said. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/20/genetic-testing-guidelines-under-fire/

Measles surge in Britain years after vaccine/autism scare

More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of a vaccine scare that raised the specter of autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease. This year, the U.K. has had more than 1,200 cases of measles, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases last year. The country once recorded only several dozen cases every year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania. Last month, emergency vaccination clinics were held every weekend in Wales, the epicenter of the outbreak. Immunization drives have also started elsewhere in the country, with officials aiming to reach 1 million children aged 10 to 16. “This is the legacy of the Wakefield scare,” said Dr. David Elliman, spokesman for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, referring to a paper published in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues. That work suggested a link between autism and the combined childhood vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, called the MMR. Several large scientific studies failed to find any connection, the theory was rejected by at least a dozen major U.K. medical groups and the paper was eventually retracted by the journal that published it. Still, MMR immunization rates plummeted across the U.K. as fearful parents abandoned the vaccine - from rates over 90 percent to 54 percent. Nearly 15 years later, the rumors about MMR are still having an impact. Now there's “this group of older children who have never been immunized who are a large pool of infections,” Elliman said. The majority of those getting sick in the U.K. - including a significant number of older children and teens - had never been vaccinated. Almost 20 of the more than 100 seriously ill children have been hospitalized and 15 have suffered complications including pneumonia and meningitis. One adult with measles has died, though it's unclear if it was the disease that killed him. The first measles vaccines were introduced in the 1960s, which dramatically cut cases of the rash-causing illness. Since 2001, measles deaths have dropped by about 70 percent worldwide; Cambodia recently marked more than a year without a single case. Globally, though, measles is still one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 and kills more than 150,000 people every year, mostly in developing countries. Measles is highly contagious and is spread by coughing, sneezing and close personal contact with infected people; symptoms include a fever, cough, and a rash on the face. Across the U.K., about 90 percent of children under 5 are vaccinated against measles and have received the necessary two doses of the vaccine. But among children now aged 10 to 16, the vaccination rate is slightly below 50 percent in some regions. To stop measles outbreaks, more than 95 percent of children need to be fully immunized. In some parts of the U.K., the rate is still below 80 percent. Unlike in the United States, where most states require children to be vaccinated against measles before starting school, no such regulations exist in Britain. Parents are advised to have their children immunized, but Britain's Department of Health said it had no plans to consider introducing mandatory vaccination. Last year, there were 55 reported cases of measles in the United States, where the measles vaccination rate is above 90 percent. So far this year, there have been 22 cases, including three that were traced to Britain. In previous years, the U.K. has sometimes exported more cases of measles to the U.S. than some countries in Africa. Portia Ncube, a health worker at an East London clinic, said the struggle to convince parents to get the MMR shot is being helped by the measles epidemic in Wales. “They see what's happening in Wales, so some of them are now sensible enough to come in and get their children vaccinated,” she said. Clinic patient Ellen Christensen, mother of an infant son, acknowledged she had previously had some “irrational qualms” about the MMR vaccine. “But after reading more about it, I know now that immunization is not only good for your own child, it's good for everyone,” she said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/20/measles-surge-in-britain-years-after-vaccineautism-scare/