Four measles cases now reported in Arizona, first of this year
NAVAJO COUNTY, Arizona () — The Navajo County Public Health Services District (NCPHSD) and the Arizona Department of Health confirmed four cases of measles in Navajo County, the first reported cases in Arizona of 2025.
Navajo County borders Utah. Arizona is now one of three neighboring states with reported cases, the others being Colorado and New Mexico.
NCPHSD said in a press release that the infected individuals were not vaccinated against measles, and they had a recent history of international travel. They also confirmed that the individuals were exposed to measles through a single source.
Public health officials are currently determining locations where other people could have been exposed and are working to contact anyone who may have been exposed to measles.
RELATED: What health officials want you to know about the MMR vaccine
Officials said that anyone who may have been exposed will be asked to monitor their symptoms for 21 days following their exposure period, which reportedly was May 17-28. They're also asking those individuals to consider avoiding public spaces or other high-risk environments during that time.
The people who are most at risk are those who have not been vaccinated against measles, officials said, and therefore they are requesting those who are unvaccinated to be particularly vigilant in monitoring for early symptoms of measles.
According to NCPHSD, symptoms usually appear a week to two weeks after exposure, and those symptoms include: high fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes, and rash beginning at the head and spreading downward.
RELATED: Health officials monitoring potential measles exposure in southwestern Utah
Janelle Lynn, director of NCPHSD, urged anyone who believes they may have been exposed or is experiencing symptoms to contact their healthcare provider immediately.
NCPHSD reminded that measles is a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease, and that the most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to get immunized.
Utah health officials also and shared the same message: the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to protect yourself, and it is completely safe.
'We're living in the dumbest timeline' — Gov. Cox comments on SLC Sego pride flags
Calif. governor asks court to block Trump administration from using troops in immigration raids
Trump says he will rename seven military bases, 'liberate' Los Angeles in Army anniversary speech
Fast work, real pay with All Trades Staffing
Shop smart with BestReviews.com and don't miss out on any epic discounts
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
HHS budget cuts threaten America's health and innovation—including in NC
(Photo courtesy of National Institutes of Health) By slashing nearly one-fourth of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) discretionary budget, the Trump administration's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget signals a dramatic retreat from evidence-based health research, disease prevention, and innovation. This $33.3 billion cut—to just under $95 billion—may be framed as a reorganization to tackle chronic disease and reduce healthcare costs, but beneath the rhetoric lies a troubling dismantling of the very infrastructure designed to advance public health, drive medical discovery, and protect our most vulnerable. Nowhere is the proposed rollback more alarming than in the realm of scientific research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the engine of U.S. biomedical innovation from which we all benefit, would see its funding slashed by $18 billion—from $45 billion to $27.5 billion—and its structure gutted, consolidating into just eight institutes or centers. Such a move ignores decades of bipartisan support for the NIH and undermines the United States' global leadership in medical research. These cuts will decelerate clinical trials, delay therapies, and disincentivize young scientists from entering the field. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network warns that the 37% cut to the National Cancer Institute would 'stall scientific breakthroughs' and hamper efforts against the increasing incidence of cancer across America. Translation: lives will be lost waiting for discoveries that now may never happen. The effects of these cuts will be especially devastating in states like North Carolina, a national leader in biomedical research, academic medicine, and public health innovation. Institutions such as Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, and East Carolina University receive hundreds of millions annually from NIH and HHS to fund research on everything from cancer to mental health to rural healthcare delivery. If these funding sources dry up or diminish, North Carolina's research infrastructure—its labs, its jobs, and its ability to develop life-saving treatments—will likely suffer. In 2022 alone, North Carolina institutions received over $1.8 billion in NIH funding. These dollars supported everything from HIV prevention programs in underserved areas to groundbreaking cancer immunotherapy research. The University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health, which has led critical studies on pandemic response and maternal health, faces a direct threat under these budget proposals. And Duke's renowned Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which works to turn research into real-world healthcare solutions, would likely struggle to maintain operations at current levels. Beyond academic campuses, the proposed cuts threaten North Carolina's community health centers, rural hospitals, and telehealth programs—many of which rely on HHS grants to reach underserved populations. The elimination of key funding for CDC public health initiatives and the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund will hit rural counties the hardest, where high rates of chronic illness and limited access to care demand more investment, not less. The proposed budget does include some provocative titles—like the $500 million 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative—but these piecemeal programs offer a fraction of the scale needed to address national health challenges. Only $119 million is allocated for a Prevention Innovation program, while over $1.5 billion in HIV prevention programs are being slashed. North Carolina, which continues to fight high rates of HIV, will feel the consequences firsthand. Innovation is not just about profit or prestige—it's about people. Patients waiting for a clinical trial in Charlotte, veterans accessing mental health support through telehealth in western North Carolina, and community health workers in rural eastern North Carolina trying to curb diabetes rates. These are the real faces behind the numbers. Congress now holds the line. It must reject this dangerous budget, reinvest in science and health equity, and protect the institutions that allow America—and North Carolina—not just to respond to crises, but prevent them. Innovation cannot survive on slogans. It thrives on sustained, strategic, and science-driven investment. Anything less is not just shortsighted—it's reckless.
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi: Budget debate in Washington ignores the human cost in Illinois
The latest political fight over President Donald Trump's self-described 'big, beautiful bill' might seem pretty remote — unless you happen to be one of the millions of individuals who could be affected. Take one of my constituents who contacted my office just a few weeks ago. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and had been receiving Medicaid. But the cost of treatment was too high, and her family had to sell their home and move into temporary housing to pay for it. As a result of that move, this person missed her annual redetermination notice to confirm her continued eligibility and was dropped from the Medicaid program. For the past few months, she has been desperately trying to get back on the program but hasn't received a response from federal officials. Now, she is running dangerously low on her lifesaving medications. After she contacted us, my office reached out to the Social Security Administration to find out why her address wasn't updated and why her appeal for reinstatement wasn't processed more quickly given the nature of her illness. We will continue to press the SSA for answers and quick action. Multiply this person's experience by 13.7 million. That's the number of Americans who could lose Medicaid under Trump's budget bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office. In Illinois alone, Medicaid supports the health and economic security of 3.4 million people. Cuts or caps to federal Medicaid funding would force Illinois taxpayers to fill the gap or result in service reductions for everyone. The Trump budget plan, recently approved by the House on a party-line vote of 215-214, would cut at least $625 billion from Medicaid. But this doesn't nearly pay for the budget's additional tax cuts, which go overwhelmingly to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Instead, the bill adds trillions more to the national debt — possibly raising interest rates and bringing on a recession. Three changes account for most of the Medicaid cuts in the bill: requiring states to implement onerous, unnecessary paperwork and administrative requirements for many recipients; increasing barriers to enrolling in and renewing Medicaid coverage; and limiting states' ability to raise their share of Medicaid revenues through provider taxes. The bill's supporters say these new paperwork hurdles will reduce waste and fraud in the program. But 58% of Illinois Medicaid recipients already are working, and most of the rest are not able to work due to their own disability or caring for a close family member. Overall, the bill is projected to strip nearly a million Illinoisans on Medicaid of their health care. These cuts would take a particularly devastating toll on our state's rural residents, whose hospitals and health systems rely heavily on Medicaid patients. Already, eight Illinois rural hospitals are at risk of immediate closure, which will be worsened by the Medicaid cuts in the Trump budget. Those closures would affect the health care of all local residents, regardless of whether they receive their care under Medicaid or private plans. Already, we are seeing people such as my constituent struggling to keep their eligibility for Medicaid. If the Senate passes Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' there will be a lot more losing their eligibility and being kicked off the program. With the Senate about to take up the Trump plan, there's still time to remember the faces and families behind the numbers and ask ourselves whether this bill truly reflects our values as Americans. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, has represented Illinois' 8th Congressional District since 2017.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Medicaid churn: How working Americans could mistakenly lose coverage under Trump tax bill
Medicaid churn: How working Americans could mistakenly lose coverage under Trump tax bill Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump gives his thoughts on Elon Musk amid clash on bill President Donald Trump responded to Elon Musk's criticism of his "big, beautiful bill" with disappointment as Musk responded on X. A centerpiece of Donald Trump's tax bill would make millions of Medicaid recipients work, volunteer or study to maintain their publicly-financed health insurance. Republicans say the work requirement is vital to protect taxpayers while motivating nondisabled Medicaid recipients to take charge of their physical and fiscal health. Dr. Mehmet Oz challenged this population to "prove that you matter." But health advocacy groups and analysts say most recipients already work in jobs that don't provide affordable health insurance or pay enough for people to afford their own insurance. They say mandating a Medicaid work requirement − combined with more frequent eligibility checks − would create an administrative nightmare that drops coverage for many who qualify for the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled residents. What is Medicaid churn? Medicaid rolls vary from month to month as people lose eligibility due to a new job, a raise or other income source that disqualifies them for coverage. A job loss or change in life circumstances could make someone newly eligible. The constant change of Medicaid rolls is what health policy experts call churn. A person who temporarily loses coverage due to a paperwork issue or mistake then must again sign up. "Churn is what happens when these eligibility systems become difficult to navigate," said Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of the program on Medicaid and the uninsured for KFF, a health policy nonprofit. The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to check enrollees eligibility once a year. The Trump tax cut legislation would mandate states double eligibility checks to twice a year. And states would have the added duty of verifying a person's employment or exemption status. The legislation, which passed the House and awaits Senate approval, mandates Medicaid recipients who are "able-bodied" adults without children work 80 hours per month or qualify for an exemption such as being a student, caregiver or having a disability. The bill defines able-bodied as people who are not medically certified as physically or unfit for employment. The legislation also would strip coverage from undocumented immigrants who get Medicaid through state-funded programs. Health policy experts say more frequent eligibility checks and red tape will add administrative costs and cut off people who qualify but fall through the cracks due to administrative miscues. "People are going to have to document work status or exemption status multiple times a year, and at each point there's a risk that someone who is eligible could lose coverage," Tolbert said. Thousands lost coverage under Arkansas work requirement During the first Trump administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave states the option of implementing a work requirement for nondisabled adults on Medicaid. Arkansas' work requirement cut more than 18,000 residents from Medicaid within the first seven months of the program. People were removed often because people were unaware of paperwork requirements to keep their coverage, research shows and analysts said. In April, a study by researchers from the Urban Institute and Loyola University Chicago found the Arkansas uninsured rate jumped 7.4 percentage points among low-income adults age 30 to 49 after the state's work requirement began. The policy's impact on employment among that age group was "negative, small and statistically insignificant," the study said. Arkansas adults who didn't have access to the internet at home were disproportionately harmed by the policy, a sign adults might've had trouble accessing the state's online portal to report work histories or exemptions, the Urban Institute said. If the work requirement for Medicaid recipients is adopted nationwide, health experts say millions of working poor Americans will inevitably lose coverage. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 10.9 million Americans would lose health insurance coverage through 2034 under the legislation. Most would lose coverage due to the Medicaid work requirement and the twice-a-year eligibility checks, but about 3.1 million would become uninsured from tweaks to Affordable Care Act enrollment, according to a KFF analysis. The ranks of the uninsured could grow larger if Congress doesn't extend the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits that have made ACA plans more affordable for consumers. If the tax credits expire and Congress passes the current version of the Trump tax bill, as many as 16 million Americans would lose coverage , according to CBO. "Coverage loss from work requirements should actually be very small," said Kathy Hempstead, a senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "But we anticipate it will be very large, because people will not be able to comply with the requirements and will lose their coverage." Dr. Oz: Medicaid spending is 'crippling the system' The Trump administration's top Medicaid official has defended the House legislation as a necessary step to slow spending for the federal health program that covers nearly 80 million low-income and disabled Americans. In a June 4 interview with Fox Business, Dr. Oz challenged Medicaid recipients who would face work requirements should "prove that you matter." Oz, the Trump-appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the work requirement asks "able-bodied individuals who are able to go back to work at least try to get a job or volunteer or take care of a loved one who needs help or go back into school. Do something to show you have agency over your future." In a Fox News interview posted on the social media site X, Oz said Medicaid spending has surged 50% since 2019, a pace that is "crippling the system." However, some Republicans have pushed back on the proposed cuts. In a May opinion piece in the New York Times, Sen. Josh Hawley, R- Missouri, said "slashing health insurance for the working poor" is "morally wrong and politically suicidal." Survey: Americans worried about Medicaid cuts The public is paying attention to the proposed Medicaid cuts. Slightly more than half of adults said they're worried significant cuts in Medicaid spending would negatively affect their family's ability to obtain and afford health care, according to a KFF health tracking poll released June 6. The survey this survey of 2,539 U.S. adults was conducted online and by telephone over three weeks in May. The survey said nearly 6 in 10 adults said the Trump administration's policies would weaken Medicaid, but there is a stark divide based on party affiliation. Nine in 10 Democrats but just 2 in 10 Republicans expect the administration's policies would weaken Medicaid. Republicans also were far more likely than Democrats to say that the Trump's policies would strengthen Medicaid. Still, while the survey suggests people are tracking the news, many likely wouldn't know whether their coverage has changed until they try to get medical care. "People don't often know that they've lost coverage until they try and fill a prescription or see a doctor," Tolbert said.
