Health experts in England have called on parents to have their infants, particularly those under a year old, to receive their vaccinations to avoid serious illness such as pneumonia and meningitis.

Data showed that one in six children remain unvaccinated and health officials warned that it could lead to an increase in the number of teens and adults who suffer permanent disability due to pneumococcal infection

New Jersey's health commissioner on Friday approved the mandatory annual flu vaccination of all preschoolers required by the Public Health Council starting on Sept. 1, 2008.

Preschoolers will also be required to receive a pneumococcal vaccine and sixth-graders will be required to receive vaccines against meningitis and a booster shot against whooping cough. The meningitis vaccine is already a requirement for college dormitory residents

Philippine-based World Health Organization on Tuesday warned the Philippine government that at least 6,000 children each year were exposed to deaths due to measles unless health agencies beef up its immunization program and prevent an epidemic.

In a statement released from its headquarters in Manila, WHO said measles will continue to spread throughout the Philippines and told the government to have more children vaccinated. A measles outbreak has plagued the Philippines for almost a year despite government efforts to curb the disease

Afghanistan is being credited for providing better and advanced health services as the under-5 child mortality rate in the nation has declined years after Taliban rule ended.

The reports said that the health ministry of Afghanistan claims that it has successfully saved thousands of children below 5-years-old who would have died without proper medical care during the authoritarian rule

With the peak of flu season approaching, health officials warn that death from influenza is more common among individuals with heart disease than among patients with any other chronic medical condition. However, according to a new nationwide survey of heart disease patients more than one in three heart disease patients (37 percent) do not plan to get a flu shot this year. In fact, only half (53 percent) received their flu shot last year, despite their serious medical condition(s).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccination is the best way to prevent the flu and its severe complications