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The nation’s oldest anti-vaccine advocacy group often emphasizes that it is supported primarily by small donations and concerned parents, describing its founder as the leader of a “national, grass roots movement.” But over the past decade a single donor has contributed more than $2.9 million to the National Vaccine Information Center, accounting for about 40 percent of the organization’s funding, according to the most recent available tax records. That donor, osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola, has amassed a fortune selling natural health products, court records show, including vitamin supplements, some of which he claims are alternatives to vaccines. (Satija and Sun, 12/20)

International health officials are expanding their efforts to prevent a potential spread of measles to more Pacific islands during the holiday travel period, following a large and deadly outbreak in Samoa. Tonga, Fiji and American Samoa, a U.S. territory, have all reported outbreaks or cases of measles in recent weeks. But Samoa, an independent country that is an eight-hour ferry ride from American Samoa, has suffered the largest outbreak by far. As of Saturday, measles had killed 79 people in the island nation and sickened more than 5,400 since September, out of a population of around 200,000. More than 60 of those who died were under the age of 4. (Cherney and McKay, 12/22)

Virginia health officials are mounting an effort to identify people who may have recently been exposed to a person with measles. The Virginia Department of Health said in a news release Saturday that the person visited the Richmond International Airport Tuesday night and a doctor’s office in suburban Richmond on Thursday afternoon. (12/22)

As lawmakers prepare to release the first draft of a highly anticipated bill that would eliminate Connecticut’s religious exemption from vaccines, one sticking point in the debate is what to do about children already enrolled in school who have claimed the exemption. Legislators in a bipartisan working group are mulling whether to make an exception for those children and allow them to remain in school. That means only new children entering the state’s public and private schools would be barred from choosing the religious exemption. (Carlesso, 12/23)

Thanksgiving leftovers are a distant memory, and December's extra travel, shopping and family commitments are already straining nerves, budgets and immune systems. It's officially "the holidays" — which also means we're well into a new flu season. It's never too late to benefit from a flu shot, even into December and January, says Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt School of Medicine in Nashville. (Haelle, 12/20)