US measles cases reach 33-year high
The national case count reached 1,288 on Wednesday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though public health experts say the true figure may be higher.
The CDC's count is 14 infections higher than 2019, when the US almost lost its status of having eliminated the vaccine-preventable illness – something that could happen this year if the virus spreads without stopping for 12 months.
But the US is still far from 1991, when there were 9,643 confirmed cases.
In a short statement, the federal government said that the CDC 'continues to recommend (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines as the best way to protect against measles'.
It also said it is 'supporting community efforts' to tamp down ongoing outbreaks as requested.
Fourteen states have active outbreaks; four other states' outbreaks have ended. The largest outbreak started five months ago in undervaccinated communities in West Texas.
Three people have died – two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico – and dozens of people have been hospitalized across the US.
'What concerned me early on in this outbreak was is it spreading to other parts of the United States, and that's definitely what's happening now,' said Katherine Wells, the public health director from Lubbock County in Texas.
In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC said measles had been eliminated from the US. But continuing vaccine hesitancy could threaten that status.
'What we're seeing with measles is a little bit of a 'canary in a coal mine,'' said Lauren Gardner, leader of Johns Hopkins University's independent measles and COVID-19 tracking databases. 'It's indicative of a problem that we know exists with vaccination attitudes in this county and just, I think, likely to get worse'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
EU Commission unlocks health funds but leaves civil society reeling from cuts
The European Commission this week finally unveiled its 2025 work programme for its €571 million health budget, EU4Health—a flagship initiative launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen public health across the bloc. The publication ended months of uncertainty and delay, with deep funding cuts already severely impacting NGOs and civil society groups operating in the health sector. A Commission spokesperson attributed the delay to several factors including the transition to the new Commission that took office in December 2024 and digestion of updated mission letters for commissioners, which came in September last year. The need to adjust for earlier budget reallocations was also cited, notably a €1 billion diversion from EU4Health to support Ukraine, announced in February 2024. But more troubling for health NGOs is what the new programme confirms: a complete elimination of operating grants - funds that support an organisation's core operations - leaving only action grants, which finance specific projects. 'It does not mean that NGOs will not be able to directly participate. It's just that we are doing the funding now differently,' a Commission spokesperson told Euronews, referring to this new focus on action grants rather than operational ones. But for these organisations, what may appear to be a mere bureaucratic adjustment actually represents a significant structural shift, as much of their core work—such as on digital health and air pollution—does not easily fit into isolated, time-limited projects. Civil society left in 'survival mode' The delay to unveiling the work programme left health civil society organisations already unable to plan or secure interim financing, resulting in staff reductions and suspended operations. 'The absence of operating grants has pushed many in our sector into survival mode, especially for us, as a large organisation that has historically relied on them,' Milka Sokolović, director general of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), told Euronews. As one of the largest health-focused civil society groups in Europe, EPHA has been forced to cut its staff by 40% this year due to the uncertainty and reduced funding. It's not alone. EURORDIS, the European organisation representing patients with rare diseases, also criticised the cuts. 'It's deeply regrettable that the EU4Health 2025 Work Programme not only confirms the exclusion of operating grants for health NGOs, but also provides few – if any – alternative funding opportunities for civil society,' said Virginie Bros-Facer, CEO of EURORDIS. "Over the past 20 years, DG SANTE [the Commission's health service] has recognised the value of operating grants as the only funding mechanism that ensures meaningful interaction between civil society and EU institutions," said Florence Berteletti from the European Alcohol Policy Alliance. She added that operating grants represent only a marginal share of the EU health budget—just 1%. With cuts in operating grants, many of these NGOs are expected to struggle to stay afloat, as they will no longer be able to fulfil essential roles. EU, a shrinking space for civil society The funding shortfall comes amid broader concerns that civil society is being sidelined. Right-wing criticism of the Commission's funding of environmental NGOs has created a climate some see as increasingly hostile to non-profit organisations. For Sokolović, the Commission's funding of NGOs exists to balance the influence of wealthier private lobbies. 'It allows us to act as watchdogs for democracy at a time of democratic backsliding. Without it, commercial interests will dominate EU decision-making, unchecked. And I must say — this goes far beyond health,' she said. The other trend is a reduced space for health actions in the EU's priorities compared to the launch of EU4Health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, designed as the EU's first standalone health budget, with €5.3 billion allocated to strengthen the sector. But five years on, and in the absence of core support for NGOs, many are now questioning whether public health remains a true EU priority.
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
Gaza hospital says 21 children dead from malnutrition and starvation
Gaza's population of more than two million people is facing severe shortages of food and other essentials, with residents frequently killed as they try to collect humanitarian aid at a handful of distribution points. "Twenty-one children have died due to malnutrition and starvation in various areas across the Gaza Strip," Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, told reporters. The doctor said the deaths had been recorded at multiple hospitals during the past 72 hours. The announcement came just hours after Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes had killed 15 people, after the World Health Organization said Israel attacked its facilities amid expanding ground operations. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Israeli strikes on the Al-Shati camp west of Gaza City killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 50. Authorities in the Hamas-run territory say more than 59,000 people have been killed during the 21-month war. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced at least once during the conflict and the Al-Shati camp -- on the Mediterranean coast -- hosts thousands of people displaced from the north in tents and makeshift shelters. Raed Bakr, 30, lives with his three children and said he heard "a massive explosion" at about 1:40 am on Tuesday (2240 GMT Monday), which blew their tent away. "I felt like I was in a nightmare. Fire, dust, smoke and body parts flying through the air, dirt everywhere. The children were screaming," Bakr, whose wife was killed last year, told AFP. Reports of the latest death toll came as the Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "morally unacceptable". "We have seen men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal," Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa told a news conference in Jerusalem after visiting the war-torn Palestinian territory. New ground operations His visit came after an Israeli army strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza killed three people last week, prompting Pope Leo XIV to condemn the "barbarity" of the war and the blind "use of force". The World Health Organization too sharply criticised the Israeli military. The UN agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused troops of entering its staff residence, and forcing women and children to evacuate, as they handcuffed, stripped and interrogated male staff at gunpoint. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday evening warned that "the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing" in Gaza, and that there were growing reports of children and adults with malnutrition. The latest criticism of Israel came as its forces expanded ground operations in Deir el-Balah following intense shelling of the area in central Gaza on Monday. The Israeli military had earlier ordered residents to leave, warning of imminent action in an area where it had not previously operated. The civil defence agency's Bassal said two people were killed in Deir el-Balah. The Israeli military said later its troops "identified shots being fired toward them in the Deir al-Balah area, and responded toward the area from which the shooting originated". "The (army) will not refrain from operating in areas where terrorist activity threatens the security of the State of Israel," it said in a statement. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that between 50,000 and 80,000 people were living in the area, which until now had been considered relatively safe. Some 30,000 were living in displacement sites. AFP footage from central Gaza showed a large plume of smoke rising over Deir el-Balah while a surveillance drone was heard buzzing overhead. OCHA said nearly 88 percent of the entire Gaza Strip was now either under evacuation orders or within Israeli militarised zones, forcing the population of 2.4 million into an ever-shrinking space. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,106 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas's 2023 attack, which sparked the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. © 2025 AFP
Euronews
5 days ago
- Euronews
Smartphones lead to ‘suicidal thoughts' in children under 13, study
Children shouldn't have access to smartphones until the age of 13, according to a new global study. Those who used smartphones before they turned 13 were more likely to have suicidal thoughts, bad emotional regulation, lower self-worth, aggression, and detachment from reality, according to the study published in the Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities. Girls were more impacted by smartphone use than boys, with 9.5 per cent of female respondents considered 'struggling' with their mental health compared to 7 per cent of males, irrespective of their country of origin, the research added. Kids under 13 were more likely to experience sleep disruptions, cyberbullying and negative family relationships, the study found. Restrict smartphones like alcohol, researchers say The study drew data from the self-reported mental health profiles of 100,000 young people between the ages of 18-24. The study was conducted by a team from the research non-profit Sapien Labs. The researchers generated an overall "mind health" score for each profile based on 47 social, emotional, cognitive, and physical functions. The mind health scores got worse the longer a child had access to a smartphone, the research continued. For example, the score of a child who received a phone at 13 dropped from 30 to just one for those who received a phone at five years old. The results were worse for the 18-20 year-olds than the 21-24 cohort in the responses, which could be due to prolonged screen exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study said. However, the results of smartphone use in under 13s are consistent despite the geographical and social differences that kids have. Lead author Tara Thiagarajan said she'd like to see smartphones restricted to those under 13 and regulated like alcohol and tobacco by government authorities. The move should be paired with restrictions on social media platforms as well as 'mandating digital literacy education and enforcing corporate accountability'. 'I was initially surprised by how strong the results are,' Thiagarajan said. 'However, when you give it due consideration, it does begin to make sense that the younger developing mind is more compromised by the online environment, given their vulnerability and lack of worldly experience'. What regulations are already in place against cellphones? Most of the bans so far against cellphones are happening in Europe's schools, with partial bans in French, Dutch, British, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, Irish, Swedish, Belgian, Greek, Latvian, Luxembourgish and Finnish classrooms. Some of these countries, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg and some Spanish regions, have complete school-wide bans on mobile phones so they cannot be used at any point during the day. Other European countries, such as Denmark, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Portugal, are also considering further restrictions on cellphones. For social media, France's artificial intelligence (AI) minister also proposed a European-wide ban on the use of social media for those under 15 years old. Several EU laws, such as the Digital Service Act, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, and the General Data Protection Regulation, include provisions to shield children from harmful content and protect their data. Last month, EU lawmakers voted to criminalise AI-generated child abuse images, online grooming, livestreaming, sextortion and the age of consent.
