Public Health

Those Following Measles Story More Likely To Say They Worry About the Disease The public paid more attention to news coverage of the measles outbreak in the U.S. and the resulting debate on whether vaccinations should be required for all kids than any other news story included in this month’s…

The public paid more attention to news coverage of the measles outbreak in the U.S. and the resulting debate on whether vaccinations should be required for all kids than any other news story included in this month’s Kaiser Health Policy News Index. Nearly half correctly identified that the number of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. since the outbreak began late last year is closer to 100, and most say they are not too or not at all worried about the measles outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a public health emergency due to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, which has accounted for over 13,000 reported cases and 4,800 deaths. Some imported and locally acquired cases in health care workers have also been reported in the United States. As…

In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses the Christie, Cuomo rift with the federal government over Ebola public health measures and the need for uniform national policies to ease the public’s fears.

Ebola virus has a unique set of characteristics that determine how and why its spreads, and how deadly it can be. To better understand Ebola, a new Kaiser Family Foundation infographic compares it to twelve other infectious diseases that continue to represent public health challenges today and offers five key takeaways…

In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman releases new Foundation polling data on the public’s confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authorities amid the response to Ebola in the U.S. Taken over the weekend, the latest poll finds a majority…

In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman looks at public confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid the response to Ebola in the U.S. based on two Foundation polls taken over the past two weeks.

The October Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found that majorities of the public said that if a case of Ebola were diagnosed in their area, they would have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of confidence in state, local, and federal health authorities to contain the disease and prevent it from spreading. Given the evolving news story, we re-surveyed the public from October 17-19 to determine whether confidence in health authorities to prevent the spread of Ebola has changed in light of more recent developments.

Democrats, Republicans and Independents All Support Major U.S. Role Fighting Ebola in West Africa, About Equally, to Protect Americans and to Save Lives As the nation grapples with its first cases of Ebola transmitted in the U.S., a new Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll finds that personal worry about Ebola…

With the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and individual cases in the U.S. and Europe making international headlines, the latest Kaiser Health Policy News Index examines Americans’ attention to the Ebola crisis, awareness of key facts about the disease, and views of the U.S. role in addressing Ebola in Africa and at home.