US is on track to have the worst measles outbreak of this century, former Covid response coordinator warns
As the deadly Texas outbreak at the heart of America's alarming measles resurgence continues to grow, a former Biden-era official is sounding the alarm about the upsurge.
'We are on track to have the worst measles outbreak of this century, of the last 25 years,' Dr. Ashish Jha, the former White House coronavirus response coordinator and dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, told ABC News Monday.
He noted that measles infections are preventable with immunization. Two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are 97 percent effective against measles, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'We should not be at this point in our country,' he noted, 'And yet, here we are because of bad information being spread by Secretary [Robert] Kennedy and others.'
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has promoted the measles vaccine as a way to broadly protect communities, but his support for individual vaccination against measles has been lukewarm.
Concerns about continued spread – and potentially worse outbreaks among unvaccinated communities – come as West Texas has seen hundreds of cases. There were 400 reported across the Lone Star State on Friday, and more than 40 hospitalizations.
The majority of those who were affected were unvaccinated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
More than 20 states and communities have reported cases this year. Health authorities in Colorado – which is not yet on the CDC list of affected areas – confirmed a case in an unvaccinated Pueblo resident. The patient had recently traveled to an area of Mexico experiencing an ongoing measles outbreak.
According to federal data, there have been five outbreaks reported this year, and the majority of confirmed cases are outbreak-associated.
While there are nearly 500 cases reported across the country, there were only 285 in total reported across the country last year.
The CDC says that the risk to the American public remains low due to 'robust U.S. immunization and surveillance programs and outbreak response capacity.'
Its response to measles also occurs as the agency and others within the Department of Health and Human Services are the current subjects of Department of Government Efficiency layoffs.
However, the agency issued a health advisory ahead of warmer weather and the summer travel season.
'With spring and summer travel season approaching in the United States, CDC emphasizes the important role that clinicians and public health officials play in preventing the spread of measles,' the CDC advised. 'They should be vigilant for cases of febrile rash illness that meet the measles case definition and share effective measles prevention strategies, including vaccination guidance for international travelers.'
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The Guardian
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US experts fear all vaccines at risk as Trump officials target mRNA jabs
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Because mRNA sounds similar to DNA, some people mistakenly think it interferes with their genes. Conspiracy theorists also claim the vaccine causes people to die suddenly, or that the shots implant microchips or impart 5G connectivity. Meghan McCain recently endorsed, in a now-deleted social media post, an unregulated supplement company's 'spike detox' for those who 'regret' getting vaccinated. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, called the mRNA Covid shots the 'deadliest vaccine ever made,' incorrectly claiming the vaccines cause more illnesses and deaths than they prevent. Kennedy rose to greater prominence through the pandemic as previously fringe conspiracies about vaccines began dominating more mainstream narratives. 'Anti-vaccine sentiment goes back to the first days of vaccines in the 1700 and 1800s,' said John Moore, professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. 'It's been a perpetual theme in society for 200-plus years, but it has been turbocharged by the Covid pandemic.' Some states are now considering laws against mRNA vaccines, and US health officials have taken several steps to limit Covid shots in recent weeks. Officials with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to limit boosters to older people and those with certain health conditions, as well as plans to conduct placebo-controlled clinical trials again. The CDC removed the vaccination recommendation for pregnant people and softened the recommendation for children's shots. About 165,000 Americans were hospitalized and 40,000 died in the previous year because of Covid, the CDC said at an April meeting. About 6,700 of those hospitalizations were among children, especially young children, and 152 children died from Covid in that time, the data showed. About 5% of children under five are vaccinated against Covid – rates much lower than other age groups. 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Despite the changeover in administrations, Moderna's work continued as normal – until February, when health officials said in an article that the funding was being reviewed. Moderna hadn't received any notification of this review, which recently culminated in having the funding cancelled. Halting the H5N1 vaccine research, which was in phase 3 trials, leaves the US vulnerable in a potential flu pandemic, Nuzzo said. It also means other countries could build upon US investments to procure the vaccines for themselves. mRNA has shown promise in treating pancreatic cancer and other cancers, as well as rare conditions and hard-to-treat infectious diseases. Moderna, for instance, is working on vaccines for melanoma, lung cancer, norovirus, flu, and CMV, or cytomegalovirus, a fairly common infection that can cause lasting health problems for infants. The company also has an RSV vaccine, currently approved for older adults, that could be expanded for other age groups. 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The National
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Adam Webb: Health battle, 49ers impact, Championship 'reset'
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And St Johnstone's chairman expects the arrival of Andrew Cavenagh and the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers at Rangers to take the Americanisation of the Scottish game to a whole new level. Projected to rejuvenate commercial revenue off the pitch while targeting a sustained challenge to Celtic on it, the full impact of the 49ers group on one of the nation's sporting institutions will be determined over time. A global sporting franchise, Webb believes the influence of vice-chairman Paraag Marathe and the 49ers on the fabric of the Scottish game to be significant. His only regret is that the financial spin-offs for St Johnstone will be less than they would have been had the Perth club avoided relegation and retained place in the top flight. 'I think change is inevitably going to happen because people like the 49ers take things to a whole different level,' the Saints chairman told Herald Sport. 'They have huge marketing departments behind them and people they can call upon to come in and do more global branding and be tied in with more incredible events. 'Then you have Bill Foley and his operation, which not only has Bournemouth but also a very successful hockey club in the United States. 'So I think that a growing influence is going to happen and it's probably going to be unavoidable because of those massive international multi-club owning entities which are now involved.' While there is no good season for a club to be relegated, St Johnstone's drop through the trap door is poorly timed. Manager Simo Valakari has just spent three days with Webb in Atlanta plotting a reset of the squad and operations, with cost economies on the horizon to offset an anticipated annual loss of up to £2million. Prepared to absorb the losses in the short term Webb wants to trim the waste to avoid creating a black hole and plans to 'think outside of the box' in a quest to get the club back to the top flight in a sustainable and challenging condition. Buoyed by the arrival of more American investment in the national game the Saints owner is enthused by the job ahead. 'I think it's a great challenge. We have to do a lot of things differently, so it really is a reset, a refresh. 'However you want to characterise it we have to tighten our belt because revenues are going to be way down. 'TV revenue, UEFA solidarity revenue, FIFA revenue, league revenue. That's all way down, so we have to tighten the belt and look at all the expenditure. 'We have to come up with new sources of revenue and excitement and we have some things in that area. 'We have added a digital scoreboard, we have added sideline LED panels, we have started a matchday fan-zone. 'If we have our way we will eventually be selling beer in our fan zone before every home game. 'We'll have more hospitality areas that can do more to upsell and get people to spend more time and more money at McDiarmid Park. 'So we are doing all that we can do, but I think that it's gonna happen across Scotland. 'And I think the reason it's gonna happen is because you now have these really well established global sporting brands coming into the SPFL now and I think that's going to lift us all. 'I'm not intimidated by it. Okay, I am intimidated by it, but I'm not scared. 'The big picture is that it's a net positive. Even though the task of competing with these teams and these brands is intimidating it's still going to be a rising tide that is going to lift all boats.' Facing their first season without Premiership football in 16 years St Johnstone are evaluating what comes next. Plans for the future revolve around a quick return to the top flight, with manager Simo Valakari set to play a central role. July 12 and the first Premier Sports Cup tie – away to newly promoted East Kilbride – is already marked in the chairman's diary. 'Simo was just here in Atlanta. He spent three nights in Atlanta with his wife. 'And so we had a lot of meetings here and he is a unique element of Scottish football, to my way of thinking. 'I haven't seen anyone else like him in the game. He is open, transparent, fun loving, energetic and knows his football. 'He had a great playing career and a great coaching career. We haven't seen the benefits yet at St Johnstone but nearly everyone I speak with is confident that Simo is the right man for the job. 'And so, even though we got relegated, there were no calls for him to go. I didn't see any calls for Simo to get sacked and even if there had been we wouldn't have sacked him anyway because I feel like you have to give a gaffer a chance to put their own squad around them.' Webb returns to Scotland on July 11, when he will have dinner with his predecessor Geoff Brown, St Johnstone's irascible custodian for three decades. Describing Brown as a 'legend' the American still marvels at the way he ran the club as a sustainable entity for so long. 'I think we have been public that we will have a nearly £2million revenue shortfall,' he admits. 'Obviously we are making some cuts and trimming and belt tightening to hopefully avoid losing as much as £2million. 'But we will have a substantial loss this season and if we go back up we will the belt tightened and we will have a new streamlined operation."
