A measles outbreak affecting 120 people in 15 states has alarmed health officials as it's the largest outbreak to happen in the last 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. health authorities believe that the measles outbreak is related to travelers coming back to the United States from other countries

Two United Nations agencies have signed an agreement aimed at slashing costs of vaccines for Afghans and locals living in and around Pakistan's refugee settlements.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed the agreement here on Sunday, a U.N press statement said Monday. UNICEF will obtain vaccines on behalf of the UNHCR based on the current UNICEF supply catalogue and price list or other estimates provided by UNICEF - which are lower than what the other agency pays, according to the memorandum of understanding

The United Nations health agency has appealed for $28 million to fund a six-month action plan to help survivors of this month's catastrophic cyclone in Myanmar.

The plan is designed for the areas most affected by Cyclone Nargis earlier this month - the Ayeyarwady Delta region and the country's biggest city, Yangon- with a particular focus on people living in temporary shelters and relocations, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a press statement

Around 5,000 families who believe that a mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, found in many vaccines causes the development of autism have filed claims with the U.S. Court of Claims. The families allege vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children.

Autism is a developmental disability which usually appears in children during their first 36 months. Once an uncommon disorder in the United States, the incidence of autism is now occurring at epidemic rates

The U.S. will soon have the largest measles outbreak in more than seven years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday.

In 2008, measles outbreaks in several states have led to more than 70 cases so far, the worst in six years, health officials added