Texas declares end to measles outbreak
The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
What happened
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Monday officially declared an end to the state's deadly measles outbreak, though the vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada. The Texas outbreak, centered in western Gaines County, led to the deaths of two unvaccinated children and an unvaccinated man in New Mexico.
Who said what
Texas quashed the virus "through a comprehensive outbreak response" including "testing, vaccination, disease monitoring" and education, said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford. It was a "bittersweet" victory for local officials as it "did not appear to end" because of a surge in vaccinations, The New York Times said. Rather, it "seemed that the virus had ripped through the community" until it "ran out of vulnerable people to infect."
With 1,356 confirmed cases nationwide, the U.S. is "having its worst year for measles in more than three decades, as childhood vaccination rates against the virus decline," The Associated Press said. At least 718 of the 762 confirmed cases in Texas were in patients "who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccine status," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said.
What next?
"The end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over," the Texas health department said. Along with the U.S. cases, an outbreak in Mexico linked to Gaines County has "ballooned to 3,854 cases and 13 deaths," and Canada has about 4,000 cases, the AP said. "It only just takes a traveler" coming into a susceptible community "to start a new outbreak," said Director of Lubbock Public Health Katherine Wells.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Scientists are worried about amoebasUnder the radar Small and very mighty
-
A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillanceUnder the radar The disease can spread through animals and humans
-
Is the US about to lose its measles elimination status?Today's Big Question Cases are skyrocketing
-
Mixed nuts: RFK Jr.’s new nutrition guidelines receive uneven reviewsTalking Points The guidelines emphasize red meat and full-fat dairy
-
Trump HHS slashes advised child vaccinationsSpeed Read In a widely condemned move, the CDC will now recommend that children get vaccinated against 11 communicable diseases, not 17
-
Deaths of children under 5 have gone up for the first time this centuryUnder the radar Poor funding is the culprit
-
A fentanyl vaccine may be on the horizonUnder the radar Taking a serious jab at the opioid epidemic
-
Health: Will Kennedy dismantle U.S. immunization policy?Feature ‘America’s vaccine playbook is being rewritten by people who don’t believe in them’
