A current measles outbreak in Texas centered within the western a part of the state has topped 500 instances, in response to the Texas Division of State Well being Companies.
The outbreak has produced 505 identifiable instances of measles “since late January” and 57 hospitalizations, in response to a Tuesday replace.
“There have been two fatalities in school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area. The children were not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions,” the replace reads. “Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities.”
Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine because the “most effective” solution to stop the unfold of measles in a publish on the social platform X on Sunday.
“In early March, I deployed a CDC team to bolster local and state capacity for response across multiple Texas regions, supply pharmacies and Texas run clinics with needed MMR vaccines and other medicines and medical supplies, work with local schools and healthcare facilities to support contact investigations, and to reach out to communities, including faith leaders, to answer any questions or respond to locations seeking healthcare,” Kennedy mentioned in his publish.
“Since that time, the growth rates for new cases and hospitalizations have flattened. The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” he added.
Kennedy has a historical past of controversial views on well being, notably on vaccines, and based an anti-vaccine group. Final month, Kennedy instructed HHS workers {that a} new presidential fee will have a look at the childhood vaccine schedule as a attainable reason for the U.S.’s epidemic of persistent illness.
