Measles outbreak grows bigger in rural Texas, and officials say expect more cases
At least 58 new cases of measles have been reported across northwest Texas in recent weeks, state health officials said Tuesday, in a "highly contagious" outbreak that might be linked to lack of vaccination.
A bulk of these new cases in rural northwest Texas are in Gaines County with 45 documented incidents of the disease, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
In the last three weeks, nine cases have come from Terry County, two from Yoakum County and one each from Lubbock and Lynn Counties, according to the state.
At least four patients had been vaccinated, but the "rest are unvaccinated, or their vaccination status is unknown," the health department said.
Most of the infections are in school-age kids, and 13 have been hospitalized.
More cases are expected.
"Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities," according to the state health officials. "DSHS is working with South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health to investigate the outbreak."
The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate last week confirmed long-time vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
He's been particularly critical of the , vaccines, which he's baselessly linked to autism.
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Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
US health chief says Sen. Cassidy promised pick on vaccine panel
WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he told U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy that he would allow Cassidy to pick a candidate for a key panel of vaccine advisers. Cassidy, a Republican, serves as chairman the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "What I told Senator Cassidy is that I would allow him to put one of his candidates on, which we're going to do," Kennedy said on Thursday during an interview on Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum," referring to the vaccine advisory panel. Kennedy on Wednesday named eight members to serve on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, which advises the agency on who should get the shots after they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after gutting the panel last week.
NBC News
4 days ago
- NBC News
Democratic governors seek to roll back state-funded health care for undocumented immigrants
A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely attributed the proposals to budget shortfalls stemming from original plans to expand health care to immigrants without legal status. But the moves also occur against the backdrop of broader debate within the Democratic Party over how to handle immigration, an issue that dragged it down in the last election and that President Donald Trump and the GOP have continued to try to capitalize on. The plans, which would scale back health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in the three Democratic-led states just years after it was expanded, have angered progressives and immigrant advocacy groups, who warn the party risks alienating its base — particularly as protests against Trump's deportation plans break out around the country. The latest development came in Minnesota on Tuesday, after both chambers of the Legislature passed a bill to end state-funded health care for undocumented adults. The bipartisan effort advanced through the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate as part of attempts to balance the state budget. It now goes to Walz, who has said he'll sign it. The bill would end undocumented adults' eligibility for MinnesotaCare — the state-funded health insurance program for low-income residents — effectively reversing one of the signature policy wins Walz secured during a landmark legislative session in 2023, when Democrats were in full control of state government. Undocumented children would remain eligible to enroll in the program under the legislation. In California, Newsom unveiled a budget plan last month that would cut back on health care benefits for undocumented immigrants — a stark reversal from his promises of universal health care for all the state's residents, regardless of their immigration status. Newsom's plan in his 2025-26 budget has called for freezing enrollment for undocumented adults to receive the full scope of the state's Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. Newsom's office has said the changes would apply only to new applicants over age 19, that existing enrollees wouldn't be kicked off their plans and that the freeze, which would begin next year, wouldn't apply to people enrolled in limited plans. Newsom's proposed changes also included a new $100 monthly premium for adults 19 and older with 'unsatisfactory immigration status' beginning in 2027. His expansion of Medi-Cal has cost far more than his administration anticipated. Newsom has said the changes will help to balance the state's budget, which has run a multibillion-dollar shortfall that he has blamed on Trump's tariffs, as well as growing costs from higher enrollment in Medi-Cal. Meanwhile, Illinois remains on track by the end of the month to end a program — called Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults — that provides state-funded health care coverage for more than 30,000 low-income adults who are living in the state without documentation. Similarly, the program in Illinois was more expensive than expected when it was created in 2021. Pritzker's latest budget, which the Democratic-led Legislature passed last month, proposed eliminating it by July 1. While the moves would help those states recalibrate their budgets, a sweeping Trump-backed domestic policy bill moving through Congress proposes slashing Medicaid funding for states that provide health care coverage to undocumented immigrants. Trump also signed an executive order this year targeting undocumented immigrants' access to government assistance programs. In response to questions from NBC News, Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross reiterated his statement in his initial announcement of the changes last month that 'instead of rolling back the program — meaning cutting people off for basic care — we're capping it.' Pritzker's office said in an email that 'this year, passing a balanced budget required the difficult decision that reflects the reality of Trump and Republicans tanking our national economy and attempting to strip away healthcare.' A Walz spokesperson didn't respond to questions about Minnesota's plan, which was the result of a compromise after Republican lawmakers had pushed to end the entire MinnesotaCare program. 'No one got everything they wanted,' Walz said last month after he reached a tentative deal with Republicans on the budget, which was finalized in a special session this week. 'There were very difficult conversations about issues that were very dear to each of these caucuses. But at the end of the day, we were able to come to this agreement.' Blowback from the left Immigrant advocacy groups have panned the moves, saying they risk further imperiling the broader health care system, and blasted Democrats for succumbing to Trump's attacks. 'We urge state leaders to build on their progress, rather than placing the health of their residents at risk,' said Tanya Broder, the senior counsel for health and economic justice policy at the National Immigration Law Center. 'Particularly as extremist politicians scapegoat and target immigrants, we are counting on state officials to do the right thing and hold the line. 'As states increasingly have recognized, a community's health and well-being depend on ensuring that everyone has access to health care. Immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal, state and local taxes, yet many are excluded from critical health care programs,' she added. 'Terminating state coverage for immigrants will compromise our collective health, as well as the health care infrastructure that serves all of us.' Some progressives questioned whether the moves were part of a broader strategy by the three governors to move to the right on the broader issue of immigration, which polling has shown still remains one of Trump's strongest issues. They said they could face a backlash from their base by departing from positions on supporting immigrant communities and expanding health care. 'It really feeds into the conservative narrative that undocumented immigrants are a drain on our communities,' said Jennifer Driver, a senior director at the State Innovation Exchange, a progressive legislative policy group. 'This assumption that by moving more to the middle or to the right that you're going to recruit some people back — I think it's a miscalculation. 'The frustration that you're seeing in the Democratic base is due to this kind of this waffling, this kind of idea that 'OK, yes, we are progressive — but only in some moments,'' Driver added. Other strategists suggested it remained too early to gauge whether a broader shift was in play as governors and other lawmakers positioned themselves for potential 2028 White House bids, and they emphasized that the threats blue states face from Trump are serious. 'The Trump administration is squeezing the hell out of states,' said Jeff Blodgett, a Minnesota-based Democratic strategist who was a campaign manager for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and the state director for both of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. 'There's just a lot of concern about current and future budgets given what the federal government is doing to states.'
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
RFK fires CDC's ACIP members: What does that mean for Americans?
Noel Brewer, a professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, had been on the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), since July 2024 before the firings blindsided him. "It's surprising... shocking," he said. "None of us had any idea that this was coming, so it came out of the blue and it was not something that's ever been done before with ACIP." Kennedy plans to replace the fired members with new people "currently under consideration," according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy's decision marks a reversal from what a key Republican senator said the Trump Cabinet member had promised during his confirmation hearings earlier this year. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said Kennedy had promised to maintain the advisory committee's current composition. "If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes," Cassidy said. In a June 9 post on X, Cassidy said he's in contact with Kennedy to ensure that ACIP won't "be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines." Kennedy says "a clean sweep" will "reestablish public confidence in vaccine science," and some who follow the Make America Healthy Again movement praise his decision, but former health officials and medical experts worry the firings will sow more distrust in the public health system and impede access to vaccines. "An important part of our social contract is trust and introducing unnecessary chaos and disruption violates that trust," said Cathy Bradley, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health. Vaccine guidance: RFK Jr. fires entire 17-member CDC vaccine board. Here are the vaccines they recommended What does ACIP do? After the Food and Drug Administration approves a vaccine, ACIP reviews the scientific evidence to create guidance on who should receive it based on age, preexisting medical conditions and other factors. The CDC director approves these recommendations, which shape guidance from other medical organizations and insurance coverage. In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy said the committee has been "plagued with persistent conflicts of interest," citing evidence from 25 years ago. Brewer said the committee has since strengthened its vetting process, which typically takes a year from nomination to member status. "All ACIP members go through a vetting for conflicts of interest," he said. "We're not allowed to have them during our time, we're not allowed to accept money from drug companies for consulting or grants, we're not allowed to sue them." Members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest, which are published on the CDC website. Meetings are also open to the public, typically livestreamed on the CDC website, and are open for public comment. "It's a very open and transparent process which leads to a body of individuals with different types of expertise," said Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC. "Pulling information from decades ago to disparage the ACIP was ludicrous." Can Americans still get vaccinated? Vaccine guidance regarding all the shots recommended for adults and children remains in place, for now, which means eligible patients should have access to these vaccines. But Dr. Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious disease physician and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said that may change as Kennedy appoints new members to the advisory committee. She fears the administration could walk back certain vaccine recommendations, similar to how Kennedy dropped COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women on May 27. Changing vaccine recommendations could impact how private insurance companies cover certain vaccines, Tan said, which could deter Americans from getting vaccinated and fuel outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. ACIP also determines which vaccines are included in the Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines to children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them. Changes made to the program would be a "great concern for public health," Brewer said. It's also unclear if COVID-19 vaccines will be available in the fall, he said. The committee met in April to discuss the COVID-19 shot, among other vaccines, but Kennedy canceled the vote that would have made recommendations for the fall. ACIP is scheduled to meet again between June 25 and June 27 with its new committee members, according to the HHS statement. More details: RFK Jr. fires entire CDC vaccine advisory panel What parents should know Doctors and public health experts urge parents to continue discussing vaccine options with their pediatricians and primary care providers. Tan also said professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association are working together to ensure that children have access to vaccines despite possible changes to the recommendations. She encourages parents to look to these national organizations for guidance and support, and to vaccinate their children if they're not up to date with their shots. "They need to get up to date now, given the fact that access to vaccines at this moment shouldn't be an issue," she said. "The American public needs to understand that the federal agencies that were in place before... they're not going to be the same now." Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@
