Texas measles outbreak tops 500 cases, including multiple at a day care in Lubbock
A day care facility in a Texas county that's part of the measles outbreak has multiple cases, including children too young to be fully vaccinated, public health officials say.
West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 505 cases reported on Tuesday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.
Three people who were unvaccinated have died from measles-related illnesses this year, including two elementary school-aged children in Texas. The second child died Thursday at a Lubbock hospital, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the funeral in Seminole, the epicenter of the outbreak.
As of Friday, there were seven cases at a day care where one young child who was infectious gave it to two other children before it spread to other classrooms, Lubbock Public Health director Katherine Wells said.
'Measles is so contagious I won't be surprised if it enters other facilities,' Wells said.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is first recommended between 12 and 15 months old and a second shot between 4 and 6 years old.
Maegan Messick, co-owner of Tiny Tots U Learning Academy, where the outbreak is occurring, recently told KLBK-TV in Lubbock that they're taking precautions like putting kids who are too young to get the vaccines together in isolation.
'We have tried to be extremely transparent,' she told the TV station.
There are more than 200 children at the day care, Wells said. Most have had least one dose of the vaccine, though she added, 'we do have some children that have only received one dose that are now infected.'
The public health department is recommending that any child with only one vaccine get their second dose early, and changed its recommendation for kids in Lubbock County to get the first vaccine dose at 6 months old instead of 1. A child who is unvaccinated and attends the day care must stay home for 21 days since their last exposure, Wells said.
Case count and hospitalization numbers in Texas have climbed steadily since the outbreak began, and spiked by 81 cases from March 28 to April 4.
On Tuesday, the state added another 24 cases to its count and two additional counties, Borden and Randall. One more person was hospitalized since Friday, with 57 total.
Gaines County, where the virus has been spreading through a close-knit Mennonite community, has the majority of cases, with 328 on Tuesday. Neighboring Terry County is second with 46, followed by Lubbock County with 36.
The Texas Department of State Health Services tracks vaccinations rate for kindergartners, though the data doesn't include homeschooled children or some kids who attend private school. Gaines County's rate is 82%, which is far below the 95% level needed to prevent community spread — and health officials have said it's likely lower in the small religious schools and homeschooling groups where the early cases were identified.
In Terry County, the vaccination rate for kindergartners is at 96%, while Lubbock County is at 92%.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met with Texas officials Monday to determine how many people it would send to West Texas to assist with the outbreak response, spokesman Jason McDonald said Monday. He expected a small team to arrive later this week, followed by a bigger group on the ground next week.
The CDC said its first team was in the region from early March to April 1, withdrawing on-the-ground support days before a second child died in the outbreak.
A spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said late Sunday that the governor and first lady were extending their 'deepest prayers' to the family and community, and that the state health department had sent epidemiologists, immunization teams and specimen collection units to the area.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘We're people too': Canada's homeless population is aging, changing how shelters run
VANCOUVER - Seventy-one-year-old Roger Oake sat on a bench outside the Union Gospel Mission shelter in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside after breakfast. He had been sleeping at the shelter for about a month 'this time' and said that after several years of homelessness, walking 'the beat' during the day when the shelter isn't open has become harder as he gets older. 'I really don't know where to even begin. There's so many things that could or should change, but I really don't know,' he said on Wednesday. 'We're people too, you know? We're not just bums, we're not just hobos looking for a handout. We are what we are and we're at where we're at — and that's basically where it's at.' In major cities across the country, those who provide shelter and services for people who are homeless say they are seeing more elderly people turn to them for help. It's leading to a shift in how they do their jobs and the type of care they are providing. They often must juggle complex medical needs with basic considerations, like ensuring seniors get beds closest to accessible washrooms, and that power sockets are available to charge mobility scooters overnight. Nick Wells, a spokesperson for Union Gospel Mission, said more than 1,000 people sleep in the shelter every year and that the number of elderly users spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow. 'The number of people in the 61-to-65 age range keeps growing at about two per cent every year,' he said. 'If you look at it from 55-plus, around COVID, they accounted for about a quarter of our shelter population, and now we're up to one-third.' Wells said teams that work around B.C. have heard of seniors who do not have enough money at retirement to keep up with housing and other costs of living. Some have been evicted when their long-term rental homes are renovated, he said. 'There's been a couple cases, and these are really tragic, that a senior's gone into hospital for a health issue and had an extended stay, and then when they've come back, they've discovered that they've been evicted because they haven't paid their rent,' he said. 'So they've just come back to no home and then they end up here.' Wells said that along with helping clients complete pension or old-age security applications online, staff sometimes have to help with medical issues like Alzheimer's and dementia. In one case, a former shelter user was able to secure a spot in full-time transitional housing in the same building. But he returned to the shelter space to use the washroom. 'He remembers how to get down there. He remembers how the bathrooms are laid out, but then he needs help getting back to the (transitional housing) floor, because he can't really remember the ins and outs of going back there,' he said. 'So we will have a staff member help guide him back up. That's not a problem whatsoever, I don't want to even suggest that, but it is something that I don't think people would have thought about a couple years ago.' UNIQUE NEEDS OF HOMELESS SENIORS The Mustard Seed runs a dozen 24-hour emergency shelters in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia with a total of 747 beds. Samantha Lowe, senior director of shelter operations, said the experience of chronic homelessness can age someone differently than those with secure housing, meaning the definition of what qualifies as a 'senior' can be different than the conventional definition of 65 years old. 'Somebody who has experienced, say, chronic or episodic homelessness and has aged within that population will need those supports earlier,' she said. 'The physiological age of somebody who's experienced so much in their life, they may be 55 and they present like a 75-year-old in terms of their co-morbidities and everything they've got going on, whether that's in their lungs or their heart or their social situation or their mental health.' Lowe said staff are seeing more elderly clients who struggle to manage medications for illnesses ranging from diabetes and breathing problems to cancer, on top of the cost of housing. 'You're having to choose between that or housing. And so we're having folks who are coming in with more chronic conditions that staff are then having to be more knowledgeable about,' she said. Lowe said one shelter is able to allow oxygen tanks to be present, but that's not possible in all spaces. She said there are people in emergency shelters waiting for spots in supportive housing and dedicated seniors housing. Lowe said shelters also have clients nearing the end of their lives. 'We have people who have disclosed that they are dying of cancer, they have a certain amount of time left in the prognosis, but they're really hesitant to go into hospital, and so we work with them to see if we can get them into hospice,' she said. 'We work with them to see if we can prevent that acute crisis that they do end up in hospital, if they're hesitant to go there … but it's quite challenging.' In Toronto, the Salvation Army runs the Islington Seniors' Shelter, an 83-bed 24-hour shelter for men and women experiencing homelessness who are 55 and older. Spokesman Glenn van Gulik said the facility is at capacity, and while the organization does not maintain a wait-list, beds fill up fast when they become available. 'There's over 8,000 people who are currently experiencing homelessness within Toronto, and what we know to be true is just about 20 per cent of those who have responded … are over 55,' he said. 'It's going up.' The Islington shelter offers three-bedroom suites, each with a shared bathroom, and staff familiar with the unique needs of homeless seniors. Van Gulik said that could mean helping with dietary needs, connecting with landlords to help find rentals for people on a fixed income, or finding dental care for aging mouths. He said the style of living, with both men and women and shared spaces, also helps combat the loneliness that can come with aging. Wells said there have been steps in the right direction, like the opening of more seniors housing in B.C. He said there needs to be broad conversation between governments and health-care and service providers about the kind of wraparound supports elderly homeless people need, including more housing options and rent protections. Mo Singh Khunkhun sometimes sleeps and eats at the Union Gospel Mission emergency shelter in Vancouver. He's easy to spot, with his formerly grey beard dyed a bright purple. 'People like it, you know? I don't do boring,' he said on Wednesday. Khunkhun is 68, and worked most of his adult life, including in construction and on farms. But he has been homeless for about eight years since the heat failed in his last apartment and he fell behind on rent. He's stayed at various facilities and has watched as more seniors turn up. 'I don't know what proportion is increasing, but I'm sure there is an increase,' he said. He said he considers himself in good health, and tries to help others as they age, whether that means going for a walk, telling a joke or just having a conversation. 'Some will talk about their health issues,' he said. 'But a lot of them, they just have the camaraderie of being here, you know?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
'We're people too': Canada's homeless population is aging, changing how shelters run
VANCOUVER — Seventy-one-year-old Roger Oake sat on a bench outside the Union Gospel Mission shelter in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside after breakfast. He had been sleeping at the shelter for about a month "this time" and said that after several years of homelessness, walking "the beat" during the day when the shelter isn't open has become harder as he gets older. "I really don't know where to even begin. There's so many things that could or should change, but I really don't know," he said on Wednesday. "We're people too, you know? We're not just bums, we're not just hobos looking for a handout. We are what we are and we're at where we're at — and that's basically where it's at." In major cities across the country, those who provide shelter and services for people who are homeless say they are seeing more elderly people turn to them for help. It's leading to a shift in how they do their jobs and the type of care they are providing. They often must juggle complex medical needs with basic considerations, like ensuring seniors get beds closest to accessible washrooms, and that power sockets are available to charge mobility scooters overnight. Nick Wells, a spokesperson for Union Gospel Mission, said more than 1,000 people sleep in the shelter every year and that the number of elderly users spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow. "The number of people in the 61-to-65 age range keeps growing at about two per cent every year," he said. "If you look at it from 55-plus, around COVID, they accounted for about a quarter of our shelter population, and now we're up to one-third." Wells said teams that work around B.C. have heard of seniors who do not have enough money at retirement to keep up with housing and other costs of living. Some have been evicted when their long-term rental homes are renovated, he said. "There's been a couple cases, and these are really tragic, that a senior's gone into hospital for a health issue and had an extended stay, and then when they've come back, they've discovered that they've been evicted because they haven't paid their rent," he said. "So they've just come back to no home and then they end up here." Wells said that along with helping clients complete pension or old-age security applications online, staff sometimes have to help with medical issues like Alzheimer's and dementia. In one case, a former shelter user was able to secure a spot in full-time transitional housing in the same building. But he returned to the shelter space to use the washroom. "He remembers how to get down there. He remembers how the bathrooms are laid out, but then he needs help getting back to the (transitional housing) floor, because he can't really remember the ins and outs of going back there," he said. "So we will have a staff member help guide him back up. That's not a problem whatsoever, I don't want to even suggest that, but it is something that I don't think people would have thought about a couple years ago." UNIQUE NEEDS OF HOMELESS SENIORS The Mustard Seed runs a dozen 24-hour emergency shelters in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia with a total of 747 beds. Samantha Lowe, senior director of shelter operations, said the experience of chronic homelessness can age someone differently than those with secure housing, meaning the definition of what qualifies as a "senior" can be different than the conventional definition of 65 years old. "Somebody who has experienced, say, chronic or episodic homelessness and has aged within that population will need those supports earlier," she said. "The physiological age of somebody who's experienced so much in their life, they may be 55 and they present like a 75-year-old in terms of their co-morbidities and everything they've got going on, whether that's in their lungs or their heart or their social situation or their mental health." Lowe said staff are seeing more elderly clients who struggle to manage medications for illnesses ranging from diabetes and breathing problems to cancer, on top of the cost of housing. "You're having to choose between that or housing. And so we're having folks who are coming in with more chronic conditions that staff are then having to be more knowledgeable about," she said. Lowe said one shelter is able to allow oxygen tanks to be present, but that's not possible in all spaces. She said there are people in emergency shelters waiting for spots in supportive housing and dedicated seniors housing. Lowe said shelters also have clients nearing the end of their lives. "We have people who have disclosed that they are dying of cancer, they have a certain amount of time left in the prognosis, but they're really hesitant to go into hospital, and so we work with them to see if we can get them into hospice," she said. "We work with them to see if we can prevent that acute crisis that they do end up in hospital, if they're hesitant to go there … but it's quite challenging." In Toronto, the Salvation Army runs the Islington Seniors' Shelter, an 83-bed 24-hour shelter for men and women experiencing homelessness who are 55 and older. Spokesman Glenn van Gulik said the facility is at capacity, and while the organization does not maintain a wait-list, beds fill up fast when they become available. "There's over 8,000 people who are currently experiencing homelessness within Toronto, and what we know to be true is just about 20 per cent of those who have responded … are over 55," he said. "It's going up." The Islington shelter offers three-bedroom suites, each with a shared bathroom, and staff familiar with the unique needs of homeless seniors. Van Gulik said that could mean helping with dietary needs, connecting with landlords to help find rentals for people on a fixed income, or finding dental care for aging mouths. He said the style of living, with both men and women and shared spaces, also helps combat the loneliness that can come with aging. Wells said there have been steps in the right direction, like the opening of more seniors housing in B.C. He said there needs to be broad conversation between governments and health-care and service providers about the kind of wraparound supports elderly homeless people need, including more housing options and rent protections. Mo Singh Khunkhun sometimes sleeps and eats at the Union Gospel Mission emergency shelter in Vancouver. He's easy to spot, with his formerly grey beard dyed a bright purple. "People like it, you know? I don't do boring," he said on Wednesday. Khunkhun is 68, and worked most of his adult life, including in construction and on farms. But he has been homeless for about eight years since the heat failed in his last apartment and he fell behind on rent. He's stayed at various facilities and has watched as more seniors turn up. "I don't know what proportion is increasing, but I'm sure there is an increase," he said. He said he considers himself in good health, and tries to help others as they age, whether that means going for a walk, telling a joke or just having a conversation. "Some will talk about their health issues," he said. "But a lot of them, they just have the camaraderie of being here, you know?" This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
What we know about measles during pregancy
The death of an Ontario infant born prematurely and infected with measles through the mother is raising questions about how the virus is transmitted during pregnancy. On Thursday, Ontario health officials announced the death of a baby who was infected with the virus while in the womb. It was the first fatality in the provincial outbreak that began on Oct. 28 last year and includes 2,009 probable and confirmed cases. "While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus," Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said in a statement released Thursday. Measles is a respiratory infection with symptoms that include fever, a blotchy rash, a cough and red, watery eyes. In May 2024, a child under five died of measles in Hamilton, but before that, there were no measles deaths in the province in more than a decade. Moore has previously said the current outbreak was traced to a Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick, and is spreading primarily in Mennonite and Amish communities where vaccination rates lag. The majority of those cases are in southwestern Ontario. Health officials stress that anyone who isn't vaccinated is vulnerable to measles and they encourage everyone to ensure they are up to date on their Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccines. "I urge everyone, but especially those who may become pregnant, to ensure they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, which will protect both a parent and baby," said Moore. What is known about measles transmission during pregnancy? Dr. Jacqueline Wong, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, says transmission of measles during pregnancy is rare. If the baby does contract measles from the mother in utero, Wong says the impact varies depending on how far along the pregnancy is. "Your risk of transmitting the infection to the baby varies during the different trimesters because of the development of the fetus, the development of the placenta and the blood flow." What are the risks during pregnancy? Dr. Sheryl Choo, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, says there are serious complications that can result if people who are pregnant become infected with measles. For instance, she says pregnant people infected with measles can develop lung infections like pneumonia at almost double the rate of those who are not pregnant. If people become infected with measles during pregnancy, Choo notes it can also increase the risk of serious complications including miscarriage and premature birth. According to Moore, the MMR vaccine has been safely used for over 50 years and is highly effective. "Two doses provide nearly 100 per cent protection," he said in a statement Thursday. What about risks to the baby? Babies born to those infected with measles can face complications related to premature birth, such as low birth weight and breathing issues, which can result in stays in the neonatal intensive care unit, Choo said. This is all on top of the symptoms of a measles infection itself, she said. Much rarer complications of measles can include subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. It is almost always fatal and generally develops seven to 10 years after an initial measles infection, even if the person appears to have fully recovered. It can be dormant in the brain for years and may eventually flare up, causing brain inflammation and resulting in children or young adults losing the ability to move and speak. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, SSPE occurs in between four and 11 out of every 100,000 measles cases. Health officials say it strikes between seven and 11 years after an initial infection and the highest rates are among children who contract measles before the age of two. If I'm pregnant can I get the measles vaccine? No, the measles vaccine is not recommended to be administered to people who are already pregnant. "If you want to take the measles vaccine, it has to be before you're pregnant," Choo said. That's because the measles vaccine contains a live strain that is a weakened form of the virus, which is not recommended during pregnancy. Choo says that's because there is a theoretical risk that the measles virus contained in the vaccine can be passed to the baby. In contrast, vaccines that contain inactivated viruses can be given during pregnancy. The flu vaccine is one example. Is there treatment for pregnant people exposed to measles? If you're pregnant and you think you may have been exposed to measles, health officials advise you to contact your local health authority. They can determine if exposure occurred and direct patients to seek appropriate care without contributing to further spread. If measles exposure is confirmed, Choo says there is an injectable medication option called IVIg. Depending on when the exposure occurred, the medication may be used to help protect against infection or reduce severity of the illness. However, health officials and doctors agree that the best way to protect against measles is immunization. "The most important recommendation or advice I can give … is to make sure you're up to date with all the immunization if you're starting that journey of becoming pregnant," Wong said.
