Texas measles outbreak ‘on the decline', officials say
The measles outbreak that began sweeping across west Texas earlier this year is showing signs of slowing, according to the state's health services department.
For the first time since the outbreak was first reported in January, no new cases were added in the department's latest update. The total case count remains at 742, a figure that has been updated biweekly by state officials.
'Thankfully, this large outbreak that we've been tracking in west Texas does seem to be on the decline,' Dr Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the the state health services department told the Texas Standard, though she warned that 'it just takes one person to get into an under-vaccinated community to cause another outbreak'.
Measles had been declared eliminated from the US in 2000, but it has been spreading in undervaccinated communities.
Though most of Texas's outbreak has been concentrated in its western part, sporadic cases have appeared elsewhere in the state. Some of these cases have been linked to international travel while others remain under investigation due to unclear origins.
The majority of cases have been reported in Gaines county, home to a Mennonite community with historically low childhood immunization rates.
Two children from the affected region, both unvaccinated and with no known pre-existing conditions, have died due to the disease. The earlier of those deaths was the first in the US from measles since 2015.
According to the latest Texas state health services department figures, fewer than 10 of the confirmed cases are currently considered infectious – which is defined as individuals within four days before or after the appearance of the measles rash. Since January, 94 people have been hospitalized.
The state health agency has identified seven counties with ongoing measles transmission: Cochran, Dawson, Gaines, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry and Yoakum. The agency says it continues to work closely with local health officials to monitor and contain the spread.
Shuford says that the department has struggled to adequately encourage community members to get vaccinated, explaining that the state health service department is 'really trying to strengthen our messaging at all times and so that we already have a relationship with different communities'.
She added that 'vaccines are just such an instrumental way for us to maintain a healthy society that can be productive'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Salmonella outbreak tied to eggs sickens dozens across 7 states
A salmonella outbreak linked to a large egg recall has made dozens of people sick in seven states in the West and Midwest, federal health officials said Saturday. The August Egg Company recalled about 1.7 million brown organic and brown cage-free egg varieties distributed to grocery stores between February and May because of the potential for salmonella, according to a posted announcement Friday on the Food and Drug Administration's website. At least 79 people in seven states have gotten a strain of salmonella that was linked to the eggs, and 21 people have been hospitalized. the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The recall covers Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming. A list of brands and plant codes or Julian dates can be found on the FDA and CDC websites. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization. The CDC advises people to throw away recalled eggs or return them to the store where they were purchased. Consumers should also wash and disinfect any surfaces that came in contact with the eggs. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Sculpt your complexion with the tinted stick moisturizer available in 20 shades that leaves skin FLAWLESS: 'My skin looks like I have a filter on!'
We all know the magic of a multitasking beauty product. Finding that hero product, though, can be a challenge. The unicorn that conceals, nourishes, and strengthens skin all at once is (unsurprisingly) really tough to find. In fact, until the Ogee Sculpted Complexion Stick, there was nothing else out there that could successfully do all of that while perfecting skin so flawlessly that it almost looked unreal. The sleek formula is absolutely everything you could want in mineral makeup and skin care combined — and it's available in a whopping 20 shades. Ogee Sculpted Complexion Stick Transform your complexion with this multipurpose stick that works overtime as a tinted moisturizer and anti-aging treatment in one. Available in 20 shades, it offers buildable coverage and blends right into the skin to leave it soft and supple. With regular use, skin looks smoother and more youthful. Shoppers absolutely love it, sharing that it looks like they're using a filter and that it's 'buttery' soft. $46 Shop The stick is like a concealer and tinted moisturizer in one, offering the benefits of buildable coverage coupled with the potency of an anti-aging skin care product that also happens to impart lasting moisture. As with everything in the Ogee lineup, the product is formulated with clean, high-performance ingredients you can feel good about applying to your skin. Among them is pracaxi seed oil, known for boosting hyaluronic acid production to improve hydration levels and leave skin softer and more resilient. Patchouli leaf extract helps too, delivering a dose of healthy fatty acids that have a calming effect. Did we mention the stick is an anti-aging powerhouse, too? You have green coffee oil to thank for that, as the ingredient ramps up the production of collagen and elastin. With age, it naturally decreases and leaves skin lax and more prone to wrinkles. The caffeine in green coffee oil works like a charm, especially coupled with elderberry extract. This antioxidant-packed fruit protects skin from harmful free radical damage — another culprit responsible for aging skin — while tightening. Because the ingredients work both instantly and in the long term, the moisturizing stick levels up your routine in the best way. It conceals those imperfections while improving your complexion so that it only gets better and better the more you use it. Using it is as simple as gliding it onto your skin and blending with your fingers, or if you prefer you can buff it on using a brush. Add just a bit more to achieve the right amount of coverage. It should come as no surprise that shoppers have dubbed the Ogee Sculpted Complexion Stick 'perfect' and 'so buttery.' 'It leaves your skin looking and feeling youthful,' raved one shopper. 'My skin looks like I have a filter on! People tell me they can't even tell I'm wearing makeup. Great coverage.' 'Amazed,' praised another. 'Wow, did it blow my mind when it blended RIGHT into my face. Perfect match and coverage!' If you've been searching everywhere for your holy grail makeup, your search ends with the Ogee Sculpted Complexion Stick. This is truly all you need to give your skin a quick makeover — with impressive results that last.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Dozens ill from salmonella outbreak linked to eggs from California
Federal food and health agencies are investigating a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections linked to eggs from a California producer that have sickened 79 people and hospitalized 21. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised on Friday that organic and cage-free brown eggs from the August Egg Company sold to retailers in Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming should be discarded or returned to the store where they were purchased. The agency identified eggs with sell-by dates from 4 March 2025 to 4 June 2025 that were distributed in California and Nevada to retail locations including Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raley's, Food 4 Less and Ralphs. The eggs were also distributed to Walmart locations in California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois with sell-by dates from 4 March 2025 to 19 June 2025. The CDC estimates that salmonella causes about 1.35m infections in the US every year, and the recall comes as the price of eggs, and their safety, have become an economic and political issue for the Trump administration after an outbreak of avian flu in poultry stocks pushed prices up. In March, the justice department launched an investigation into whether producers have conspired to increase prices or held back supply. The cost of a dozen large eggs hit almost $5 in January but have since fallen back. The investigation was reported to be in its early stages, and may not lead to any formal action, according to the Wall Street Journal. A Guardian report also found that concentration of the egg market could be contributing to the spread of the avian-borne virus. 'Bird flu does not fully explain the sticker shock consumers experience in the egg aisle … Corporate consolidation is a key culprit behind egg price spikes,' said Amanda Starbuck, lead author of the Food & Water Watch report The Economic Cost of Food Monopolies: The Rotten Egg Oligarchy. But egg prices have since dropped, falling 12.7% in April, the biggest monthly decline since 1984, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Department of Agriculture reported in May that the cost of a dozen large white-shell eggs fell to $3.30 on average. Last month, the US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, touted egg price declines as a signal of Donald Trump's economic success. 'When the president was sworn in, the price of eggs had increased 237% under the last administration,' Rollins told CNN. She had said the Trump administration was importing millions of eggs from Turkey and South Korea to help drive down prices, according to the Hill.
