logo
Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia report first measles cases of 2025

Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia report first measles cases of 2025

NBC News20-04-2025

Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia have all reported their first measles cases in 2025, and they say all three patients' cases are linked to international travel.
The most recently announced case in northwest Virginia is a child in the 0 to 4-year age range who had recently traveled internationally, according to the state's health department. Officials did not clarify if the child was vaccinated against the virus.
'This first case of measles in Virginia this year is a reminder of how easily this highly contagious disease can spread, particularly with international travel,' said state epidemiologist Laurie Forlano. 'Vaccination remains our best defense against measles and is safe and highly effective at protecting people and preventing outbreaks.'
The Virginia Department of Health identified two Kaiser Permanente medical centers in Woodbridge and Fredericksburg as areas of potential exposure, adding that officials are working to help identify those exposed to the illness.
The Louisiana case is an adult from the southeast of the state who was not vaccinated against measles, according to the Department of Health. The patient received treatment at a hospital and is in isolation, where they will remain until no longer infectious.
'The LDH Office of Public Health is working to identify and notify those who have come into contact with the infected individual,' the department said.
The Missouri measles case involves a child 'associated with recent international travel' visiting Taney County, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said. The child's vaccination status is not clear at this time.
'There is no indication of widespread exposure as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County,' the department said in an update. 'Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted.'
These cases come amid the largest measles outbreak the U.S. has faced in six years. Even given the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has remained relatively silent on the public health threat, providing just weekly updates on its website and sending an alert to doctors last month.
Earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services said the measles toll in the state rose to 481 confirmed cases, including six young children at a day care center in Lubbock. Fifty-six people have been hospitalized in the area since the disease started spreading in late January.
The CDC sent 2,000 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine to Texas health officials at their request, but hasn't held a news briefing about the illness since 2019, when two large outbreaks in New York threatened to reverse the United States' status of having eliminated the virus.
Before this year, the United States had not had a measles death in a decade, and a child had not died of measles since 2003.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze
NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze

Belfast Telegraph

time2 days ago

  • Belfast Telegraph

NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze

The Department of Health is set to be handed a 2.8% annual increase in its day-to-day budget over a three-year period. The cash injection, which amounts to a rise of about £30 billion by 2028, or £17 billion in real terms, will see other areas including police and councils squeezed, The Times newspaper reported. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to ensure that by the next election 92% of patients in England waiting for planned treatment are seen within 18 weeks of being referred. Latest NHS data suggests around 60% of people are currently seen in this time and figures released last month showed the overall number of patients on waiting lists had risen slightly from 6.24 million to 6.25 million. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that she had been forced to turn down requests for funding in a sign of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over her spending review. She insisted the blame for the tight economic situation lay with the Conservatives rather than her rigid rules on borrowing and spending. The Chancellor said despite a £190 billion increase in funding over the spending review period 'not every department will get everything that they want next week and I have had to say no to things that I want to do too'. On top of the increase in day-to-day spending, funded in part by the tax hikes Ms Reeves set out in her budget, looser borrowing rules will help support a £113 billion investment package. Economists have warned the Chancellor faces 'unavoidably' tough choices when she sets out departmental spending plans on June 11. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said defence and the NHS will dominate the review, raising the prospect of cuts to other unprotected departments.

NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze
NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze

Leader Live

time2 days ago

  • Leader Live

NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze

The Department of Health is set to be handed a 2.8% annual increase in its day-to-day budget over a three-year period. The cash injection, which amounts to a rise of about £30 billion by 2028, or £17 billion in real terms, will see other areas including police and councils squeezed, The Times newspaper reported. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to ensure that by the next election 92% of patients in England waiting for planned treatment are seen within 18 weeks of being referred. Latest NHS data suggests around 60% of people are currently seen in this time and figures released last month showed the overall number of patients on waiting lists had risen slightly from 6.24 million to 6.25 million. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that she had been forced to turn down requests for funding in a sign of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over her spending review. She insisted the blame for the tight economic situation lay with the Conservatives rather than her rigid rules on borrowing and spending. The Chancellor said despite a £190 billion increase in funding over the spending review period 'not every department will get everything that they want next week and I have had to say no to things that I want to do too'. On top of the increase in day-to-day spending, funded in part by the tax hikes Ms Reeves set out in her budget, looser borrowing rules will help support a £113 billion investment package. Economists have warned the Chancellor faces 'unavoidably' tough choices when she sets out departmental spending plans on June 11. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said defence and the NHS will dominate the review, raising the prospect of cuts to other unprotected departments.

NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze
NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze

North Wales Chronicle

time2 days ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze

The Department of Health is set to be handed a 2.8% annual increase in its day-to-day budget over a three-year period. The cash injection, which amounts to a rise of about £30 billion by 2028, or £17 billion in real terms, will see other areas including police and councils squeezed, The Times newspaper reported. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to ensure that by the next election 92% of patients in England waiting for planned treatment are seen within 18 weeks of being referred. Latest NHS data suggests around 60% of people are currently seen in this time and figures released last month showed the overall number of patients on waiting lists had risen slightly from 6.24 million to 6.25 million. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that she had been forced to turn down requests for funding in a sign of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over her spending review. She insisted the blame for the tight economic situation lay with the Conservatives rather than her rigid rules on borrowing and spending. The Chancellor said despite a £190 billion increase in funding over the spending review period 'not every department will get everything that they want next week and I have had to say no to things that I want to do too'. On top of the increase in day-to-day spending, funded in part by the tax hikes Ms Reeves set out in her budget, looser borrowing rules will help support a £113 billion investment package. Economists have warned the Chancellor faces 'unavoidably' tough choices when she sets out departmental spending plans on June 11. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said defence and the NHS will dominate the review, raising the prospect of cuts to other unprotected departments.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store