In early February, Texas health officials reported measles was spreading among religious groups on the island in Gaines County, Texas. There, almost 14% of school children need exemptions (allowed in some states for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs). Vaccination as a child. The disease has since been detected across the New Mexico border. And this week, the case count has grown to at least 99. Last year, the US saw 285 measles cases nationwide. It is the fourth highest total since 2000.
The outbreak will escalate and could soon exceed 100, just as America's leading expert Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been promoted as the top healthcare official.
Kennedy has pledged to investigate the safety of vaccines in childhood, and in his first action as secretary of the new US Health and Human Services (HHS), Kennedy has already held an indefinite hold on Vaccine Advisory Council is being held. He helped cultivate a culture of medical skepticism as the most prominent voice that promotes exposed connections between childhood immunization and autism and other health issues.
Kennedy is no longer an outside agitator, but government officials are ultimately responsible for crushing the threats of US public health.
So far, he has not commented on the Texas outbreak. But what happens next is the first big test case of how Kennedy leads the U.S. Health Service in an aggressive public health emergency.
What does the response to an outbreak usually look like?
If there is an outbreak of illness that requires government action (i.e., not a standard sniffle), then local governments are the first responders. County officials usually receive first reports of the spread of the disease and begin increasing testing and other types of surveillance to assess the situation.
That was what happened in Texas. In late January, one person from the Gaines County School District reported the first measles to the community. Within a week, the Texas government began stepping up and providing support for local responses after the outbreak rose to six. That's also typical. While local governments are on the forefront, states may provide technical expertise and fund communications and interventions (such as vaccine drive-thru). process.
The federal government usually stays in the background with outbreaks of current measles outbreaks. For example, you can provide professional or laboratory support. But otherwise, they are helping players as long as the outbreak poses a unique threat to other parts of the country or creates a massive multinational crisis. For now, the current outbreak is limited to small geographical regions, and the state appears to be in good condition for how it works.
But further spread could call for federal officials to become more involved – a development worth watching closely given the new leadership.
Good news: So far, the HHS in RFK Jr. has not complicated the response.
The outbreak is already underway before Kennedy is confirmed, and although it is easy to forget after the pandemic, local governments are taking the initiative. Texas health officials and New Mexico counterparts have set up mobile vaccinations and testing sites now that cases are spreading there, and people who have not been vaccinated can now take shots. We encourage you to get it. Local officials may be considered more reliable (and in the end it may be more effective) as they are one of the communities they serve.
If these efforts are permitted to continue uninterrupted, it is a sign that the RFK-led health department will not actively interfere with public health efforts when an acute crisis is underway It will be. Some observers noted that CDC measles trackers were not involved in the new outbreak, and then the web page was updated with a pledge to continue updating every Friday.
So far, there is no indication that local officials have requested assistance from the federal government and have been denied.
Should I worry about the spread of measles more widely?
It's not accurate. Such occurrences are still relatively rare and usually remain localized when they occur. But America teeth As for this ancient disease, it trends in the wrong direction. This causes painful skin rashes and is fatal for young unvaccinated children.
The US declared measles had been eliminated in 2000, but it regained its foothold as vaccination rates fell. In 2019, the biggest outbreak was in decades when more than 1,200 people became ill, mainly in New York. Nearly 100 individuals are currently ill along the Texas-New Mexico border. It's bigger than any of last year's outbreaks, and it's only February.
Nationally, measles vaccination rates are slightly below the 95% target experts say to maintain population-level immunity. In some states, the situation is even more disastrous. According to the 14-state health policy think tank KFF, the vaccination rate for the 2023-2024 academic year was below 90%.
However, in individual communities, fees can be even lower, creating the right conditions for an outbreak to explode. Measles is, after all, one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. The Gaines County School District, which is most affected by the outbreak, has vaccination rates of less than 50%.
The majority of Americans believe that the measles vaccine is safe and effective, and its benefits outweigh the risks. But as our collective belief in science deteriorates, so does vaccination rates.
