As measles outbreak slows in West Texas, doctors remain on alert
The measles outbreak that's sickened hundreds and killed two young girls since January appears to be slowing in West Texas as the virus runs out of people to infect.
On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported a total of 702 measles cases, an increase of 19 since the agency's last update on Friday.
Ninety-one people have been hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak. About two-thirds were kids.
But for the second week in a row, no children are hospitalized with the virus in West Texas, said Katherine Wells, the public health director for the city of Lubbock, located at the epicenter of the outbreak.
'I'm hopeful that things are slowing down,' Wells said.
Still, she and others who've been on the front lines of the outbreak were cautious.
'I don't think it's over, but I do think it's beginning to taper a little bit now,' said Dr. Lara Johnson, a pediatrician and chief medical officer at Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock. 'That could change tomorrow.'
Measles is so contagious, Johnson said, it can easily infiltrate vulnerable, mostly unvaccinated, communities. At this point, she said, it seems the virus has made its way through many West Texas communities with low vaccination rates.
'Outbreaks burn themselves out,' Johnson said. 'Everyone who's susceptible in the community becomes not susceptible, either because they have the illness, or perhaps they choose to vaccinate.'
Doctors on the ground said there's been a slight uptick in people choosing to get themselves or their children vaccinated. Others have been convinced to stay home while contagious to prevent further spread.
Mostly, however, measles has likely run out of people to infect among the vulnerable population.
Even as the outbreak slows in West Texas, it's growing elsewhere.
As of Tuesday, there were 987 measles cases nationwide, according to an NBC News tally of state health departments. It's the largest number of measles cases since 2019, when more than 1,200 cases were reported, driven by an outbreak in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York.
Most of the current cases are related to international travel. Montana and North Dakota are now reporting eight and four cases, respectively.
But some of the outbreaks in other states are linked directly to cases in West Texas.
Fifty-seven measles cases, including one death in an adult, have been reported in New Mexico. Health officials in Kansas report 46 cases, and 17 have been reported in Oklahoma.
It's almost certain that reported illnesses are a vast underestimate of the true number of measles cases, experts say.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
MTV's Ananda Lewis Dies at 52
Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ, has died at the age of 52. Lakshmi Emory, whom Lewis once described as a 'phenomenal sister' in a birthday message, shared news of her death in a June 11 Facebook post. 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' she wrote next to a black-and-white photo of Lewis. 'Lord, rest her soul.' Emory did not share additional details, including Lewis' cause of death. Lewis was an MTV staple in the late '90s, hosting 'Total Request Live' and video countdown show'Hot Zone.' She also hosted her own talk show 'The Ananda Lewis Show' in 2001. Lewis was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2019, but later revealed that she opted against the double mastectomy doctors recommended at the time. In a January 2025 op-ed for Essence, Lewis shared that she tried alternative methods to monitor her breast cancer, including cuting out alcohol, sugar, monthly ultrasounds, high-dose vitamin C IVs, hyperbaric chamber sessions and qigong exercise, among others. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she discovered that her tumor had grown and underwent genetically targeted fractionated chemotherapy, which is a treatment that destroys cancer cells without harming healthy ones, according to Cleveland Clinic. However, a PET scan done in October 2023 confirmed that her cancer had progressed to Stage 4 cancer. This time, she shared that she underwent treatment at an integrative facility. While Lewis had previously said she regretted refusing to undergo mammograms out of fear of radiation exposure, she urged the importance of women getting informed and learning about prevention. In her 2025 Essence piece, she wrote, 'Going into 2025, I would say to women: Do everything in your power to avoid my story becoming yours. If I had known what I know now 10 years ago, perhaps I wouldn't have ended up here.' Adding, 'I encourage people to look at the information and studies that exist. Seek them out, learn from them and apply the changes to your life, so that you can continue to thrive and live as long as you can.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
JNJ vs. MRK: Which Healthcare Titan Offers Better Growth Prospects?
Both Johnson & Johnson JNJ and Merck MRK are leading U.S. healthcare conglomerates — blue-chip pharmaceutical companies with massive R&D budgets and blockbuster drug portfolios. Both companies have a strong presence in oncology, immunology and neuroscience areas. Other than that, J&J also has drugs for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and infectious diseases, along with a strong presence in the medical devices segment. On the other hand, Merck boasts a strong presence in vaccines, virology and hospital acute care. Both firms face looming patent expirations and headwinds from Medicare Part D redesign. But which one is a better investment option today? Let's take a closer look at their fundamentals, growth prospects and challenges to make an informed choice. J&J's biggest strength is its diversified business model, which helps it to withstand economic cycles more effectively. It operates through more than 275 subsidiaries. Its Innovative Medicine unit is showing a growth trend. The segment's sales rose 4.4% in the first quarter of 2025 on an organic basis despite the loss of exclusivity (LOE) for its multi-billion-dollar product, Stelara, and the negative impact of the Part D redesign. In 2025, J&J expects growth in the Innovative Medicine segment in the face of Stelara biosimilar entrants to be driven by its key products such as Darzalex, Tremfya, Spravato and Erleada, as well as new drugs like Carvykti, Tecvayli and Talvey, and new indications for Tremfya and Rybrevant. J&J also has an interesting R&D pipeline that can generate innovative products and further drive its growth. J&J has been on an acquisition spree lately, with the latest acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies strengthening its presence in the neurological and psychiatric drug market. Sales in J&J's MedTech business are facing continued headwinds in the Asia Pacific, specifically in China. Sales in China are being hurt by the impact of the volume-based procurement (VBP) program and the anticorruption campaign. J&J does not expect any improvement in its business in the Asia Pacific region, specifically in China, in 2025. Competitive pressure is also hurting sales growth in some MedTech businesses. The company lost U.S. patent exclusivity of its blockbuster drug, Stelara, in 2025. The launch of generics is expected to significantly erode the drug's sales, hurting J&J's sales and profits in 2025. J&J also expects a negative impact of approximately $2 billion in sales due to the Medicare Part D redesign in 2025. The Part D redesign is expected to mainly hurt sales of drugs like Stelara, Tremfya, Erleada and PAH drugs J&J faces more than 62,000 lawsuits for its talc-based products, primarily baby powders. The lawsuits allege that its talc products contain asbestos, which caused many women to develop ovarian cancer. J&J insists that its talc-based products are safe and do not cause cancer. The company permanently discontinued the sales of its talc-based Johnson's Baby Powder. In April, a bankruptcy court in Texas rejected J&J's proposed bankruptcy plan to settle its talc lawsuits after a two-week trial in Houston. J&J will go back to the traditional tort system to fight the lawsuits individually with its bankruptcy strategy to settle the lawsuits failing for the third time. J&J's cash and cash equivalents were $38.8 billion at the end of March 2025 against long-term debt of $38.4 billion, resulting in a debt-to-capital ratio of 0.33, much lower than the industry's average of 0.42. Merck boasts more than six blockbuster drugs in its portfolio, with Keytruda being the key top-line driver. Keytruda has played an instrumental role in driving Merck's steady revenue growth in the past few years. Keytruda's sales are gaining from rapid uptake across earlier-stage indications, mainly early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Continued strong momentum in metastatic indications is also boosting sales growth. The company expects continued growth from Keytruda, particularly in early lung cancer. Merck is also developing a subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda that can extend its patent life. Merck is working on different strategies to drive Keytruda's long-term growth. Merck has been making meaningful regulatory and pipeline progress across areas like oncology (mainly Keytruda), vaccines and infectious diseases while executing strategic business moves. Merck's phase III pipeline has almost tripled since 2021, supported by in-house pipeline progress as well as the addition of candidates through M&A deals. Merck's new products, Capvaxive and Winrevair, are witnessing strong launches and have the potential to generate significant revenues over the long term. Earlier this week, the FDA approved its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, Enflonsia (clesrovimab). However, sales of Gardasil, which is Merck's second-largest product, are declining due to a weak performance in China, which resulted from sluggish demand trends amid an economic slowdown. Merck is also seeing weakness in the diabetes franchise and the generic erosion of some drugs. Merck is heavily reliant on Keytruda. Though Keytruda may be Merck's biggest strength and a solid reason to own the stock, it can also be argued that the company is excessively dependent on the drug and it should look for ways to diversify its product lineup. There are rising concerns about the firm's ability to grow its non-oncology business ahead of the upcoming loss of exclusivity of Keytruda in 2028. Also, competitive pressure might increase for Keytruda in the near future. Medicare Part D redesign is expected to hurt sales of diabetes drugs, Januvia/Janumet, in 2025. At the end of March 2025, its cash and cash equivalents were $9.2 billion against long-term debt of $33.5 billion, resulting in a debt-to-capital ratio of 0.41, which is slightly lower than the industry average of 0.42. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for J&J's 2025 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year increase of 2.7% and 6.2%, respectively. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings has risen from $10.54 per share to $10.60 over the past 60 days, while that for 2026 has declined from $11.02 to $10.98 over the same timeframe. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MRK's 2025 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year increase of 0.9% and 16.6%, respectively. EPS estimates for both 2025 and 2026 have declined over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Year to date, J&J's stock has risen 10% compared with the industry's increase of 0.6%. Merck's stock has declined 17.5%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research MRK looks more attractive than J&J from a valuation standpoint. Going by the price/earnings ratio, J&J's shares currently trade at 14.53 forward earnings, slightly lower than 15.23 for the industry and its 5-year mean of 15.77. Merck's shares currently trade at 8.76 forward earnings, significantly lower than the industry as well as the stock's 5-year mean of 12.88. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research J&J's dividend yield is 3.32%, while Merck's is slightly higher at 3.98%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Both Merck & J&J have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each, which makes choosing one stock a difficult task. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Merck has one of the world's best-selling drugs in its portfolio, generating billions of dollars in revenues. Though Keytruda will lose patent exclusivity in 2028, its sales are expected to remain strong until then. However, the company's problems are too many at present, including persistent challenges for Gardasil in China, potential competition for Keytruda and rising competitive and generic pressure on some drugs. All these factors have raised doubts about Merck's ability to navigate the Keytruda loss of exclusivity period successfully. Consistently declining estimates also reflect analysts' pessimistic outlook for the stock. On the other hand, J&J has shown steady revenue and EPS growth for years. J&J considers 2025 to be a 'catalyst year,' positioning the company for growth in the second half of the decade. J&J expects operational sales growth in both the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments to be higher in the second half of 2025 than in the first. While newly launched products should drive growth in the Innovative Medicines segment in the second half, the MedTech segment may benefit from new products and easier comps. J&J expects growth to accelerate from 2026 onward. Despite headwinds like softness in the MedTech unit, the legal battle surrounding its talc lawsuits, Stelara patent cliff and the potential impact of Part D redesign, J&J seems just one step ahead of Merck due to better prospects for sales and profit growth amid the various challenges. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Consumers brace for steeper bills and lower credit scores from Trump's financial deregulation
Rob Haskell was hoping a new rule would shield his credit report from thousands of dollars in bills for recent heart procedures. Instead, he's bracing for impact from President Donald Trump's push to slash financial regulations. 'I've always had medical debt hanging over me but, you know, it's just completely unmanageable,' Haskell said in late May. He was speaking to NBC News from a hospital bed at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington, days before an open heart surgery that threatened to yield another steep bill. 'So, to the moon on that one,' he sighed. The 58-year-old contractor said he has battled a series of heart and kidney issues for most of his life. Despite having health insurance, his medical needs have resulted in thousands of dollars in debt. Haskell recently paid off a $5,000 bill that knocked his credit score 21 points lower — debt that might have been spared from his report under a rule instituted in the final days of the Biden-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB estimated at the time that the measure would have spared $49 billion in bills from hitting the reports of 15 million people. But in April, Trump-appointed leadership at the consumer watchdog reversed its position and threw its support behind credit unions and consumer reporting companies seeking to block the rule in a Texas federal court. After twice delaying the policy's March start date, the judge is expected to rule within days. Haskell used some retirement savings to pay off his last operation, in 2024. Before his heart surgery last month, he'd hoped the medical debt rule would finally help smooth out his finances, boost his credit score above 700, and improve his chances of buying property to build a home. That now appears unlikely. 'There really was very little information about the whole thing,' Haskell said of the CFPB's about-face. 'I was really surprised.' The change adds to the financial risks consumers increasingly face from months of cuts and policy rollbacks at the agency, advocates say, contributing to broader economic uncertainty stoked by Trump's trade war. Since January, CFPB leadership has attempted to fire nearly all of the agency's 1,700 workers, halted standard supervisory and enforcement actions and blocked rules aimed at buttressing consumers' wallets. The actions have stunned consumer advocates who just months ago had expected at least some of the Biden-era guidance to remain untouched. Some pointed to the populist economic message that propelled Trump back into the Oval Office, even though the CFPB — itself a byproduct of populist frustrations churned up by the 2008 financial crisis — has drawn GOP ire since its inception. 'These rules generally are very politically popular,' said Chi Chi Wu, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, a nonprofit group that stepped in to defend both the medical debt rule and a separate one capping overdraft fees at large banks at $5. The latter measure was voided in early May when Trump signed House Republicans' resolution repealing it. When federal agencies' policies are nullified under the Congressional Review Act, they're prevented from issuing substantially similar ones in the future. 'They're actively harming regular, hard-working Americans so that their billionaire buddies can profit,' Wu said of administration officials. 'There's really no other way to look at it.' Spokespeople for the CFPB and the White House didn't respond to requests for comment. The Trump administration has cast its changes as efforts to combat government overreach. In remarks to the American Bankers Association in April, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was appointed acting director of the CFPB in late January, described Biden-era rules as politically biased and criticized their 'compliance costs' that could impede 'responsible lending and risk-taking.' 'The associated mission drift can lend itself to political ends,' he said at the time. The consumer banking industry has applauded efforts to rein in the agency. 'How do we take politics out of regulation, where it never should have been?' Lindsey Johnson, president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association, said at a recent industry event. She also thanked Trump in a statement last month cheering the elimination of the overdraft rule 'for protecting consumer choice and access to a deeply valued financial tool utilized by millions of Americans in times of need.' Republican policymakers, both at the CFPB and in Congress, have taken steps to unwind other recent financial regulations. In April, a Biden-era rule capping most credit card late fees at $8 was eliminated. So was a policy aimed at tightening regulations around the sale of consumers' financial data and Social Security numbers. The CFPB has also abandoned a lawsuit against the three big banks that operate the digital payments platform Zelle, which was accused of mishandling users' fraud complaints totaling more than $870 million since 2017. Gone, too, are oversight powers over big tech companies offering payment tools and plans to hold Buy Now, Pay Later services — which have rapidly become many consumers' default choice of credit — to the same regulations as card issuers. 'A lot of people don't necessarily know about the CFPB and may not understand how it's being attacked, but they will be affected,' said Adam Rust, director of financial services at the Consumer Federation of America. 'Partisanship is what is driving these actions, both by Congress and the CFPB, and it strikes me as an inside-the-Beltway game that ignores the effect on regular people.' In the meantime, some advocates are shifting focus to state and municipal safeguards. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander published a report this week outlining how the city and the state can fill the void left by a CFPB 'in crisis,' recommending a consumer restitution fund and bank overdraft caps. In January, California instituted its own prohibitions on health care providers and debt collectors from reporting medical debt to credit agencies. Still, Armen Meyer, a financial policy consultant who has served as both a fintech executive and a bank regulator, said he expects 'many, many consumers will be harmed no matter how much the states stand up.' George Curlee, 51, is keenly aware of how the CFPB's policy reversals threaten his finances. In 2023, the Garland, Texas, resident underwent an emergency toe amputation that resulted in $61,000 in total medical debt despite the insurance he'd purchased on an Affordable Care Act marketplace. Around the same time, he was fired from his retail job and his credit score plunged 60 points. Curlee said he has since managed to whittle the debt down to about $50,000 and found part-time work in March. The job pays less than half his previous $40,000 annual salary, and he's been living with two of his brothers to save money. 'When you're broke, you're broke,' he said. 'You just do what you can to survive.' Curlee now fears worse to come because of House Republicans' so-called Big Beautiful Bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would push at least 16 million people off health insurance by 2034 — including those who pay for ACA coverage like him. He has since joined advocates to lobby policymakers against the proposed cuts and in favor of preserving the medical debt rule. 'I really wish that politicians would take the politics out of these bills and do what's right for the American people,' he said. 'This is a little insane.' This article was originally published on
