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Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
No measles reported yet in Nevada, but state's vaccination rate slipping
Measles is highly contagious but preventable. (Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Tatiana Lanzieri, MD, MPH) Measles, a highly contagious disease considered to have been eradicated since the turn of the century, is making a comeback. Nevada has no reported cases as of Thursday morning, but public health officials worry the state may be vulnerable as vaccination rates have slipped in recent years. The New York Times and other media outlets have tracked more than 270 cases of measles in 12 states. That includes 223 cases confirmed by the Texas Department of State Health Services as of March 11 and 33 cases confirmed by the New Mexico Department of Health as of Wednesday. Two cases were confirmed among travelers at Los Angeles International Airport last week, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which previously updated case counts daily on its website, last month announced it will only update weekly. As of March 7, it was reporting 222 cases nationally. In 2024, the CDC reported 285 cases in 32 states and the District of Columbia. None of them were fatal. Nevada did not report any cases. So far this year, an unvaccinated child in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died from measles, according to health officials. Measles, a highly contagious virus, usually begins with a fever, cough, runny nose and pink eye. Two to four days later a distinctive rash generally appears. Infected individuals are contagious for four days before and after the appearance of a rash. Complications include pneumonia, encephalitis, and death. The virus is transmitted by direct contact or by inhaling infectious droplets. Measles virus can remain on surfaces and in the air for up to 2 hours. Signs of illness usually occur a week to 10 days following exposure. The measles vaccine became available in 1963. Anyone born before 1958 is assumed to have had measles, says Dr. Brian Labus of UNLV's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 'For this group, getting vaccinated was unnecessary because their natural infection provided lifelong protection,' Labus said via email. 'Thanks to widespread vaccination, measles was no longer a common childhood illness by the late 1960s.' Lately, amid debunked rumors of connections between vaccinations and autism, as well as opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, the ranks of the vaccinated are slipping. The CDC estimates that in the 2018/19 school year, 95% of kindergarten students in Nevada were vaccinated against measles. By 2023/24, the vaccination rate had fallen to 91.8%. Nationally, the vaccination rate during that time period dropped from 94.7% to 92.7%. Those drops in vaccination rates correspond with an increase in the number of parents filing religious exemptions. In 2018/19, an estimated 3.2% of Nevada kindergarteners had a religious exemption. By the 2023/24 school year, 5.6% did. Nationally, 3.1% of kindergarten students had a religious exemption. The percentage of children with medical exemptions has remained steady at .2% in Nevada and nationally. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates in Nevada vary by county, from 83% in White Pine County to 95.8% in Storey County. In Clark County, the largest county in the state, 91.5% of students were vaccinated, while 94.8% in Washoe County were. In Gaines County, Texas, which has the majority of cases in the West Texas outbreak, the MMR vaccination rate is 82%, well below the 95% threshold to prevent outbreaks, the Associated Press reports. 'Measles elimination hinges on vaccination coverage remaining above 95% to retain sufficient community protection,' the National Institutes of Health wrote in 2022, noting 'recent declines in routine measles vaccinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic… are a cause for concern.' 'We encourage all parents to follow established vaccination guidelines to help protect their children and the community,' says SNHD, adding it will reach out to unvaccinated individuals 'to encourage post exposure vaccination if they have been potentially exposed.' The wildcard in the current outbreak is the role, influence, and administrative skills of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., who has asserted a link between autism and childhood vaccinations, and has been criticized for a lack of leadership during the recent measles outbreaks. In a message on the HHS website, Kennedy said the 'decision to vaccinate is a personal one.' 'It is not a scientific article,' said Labus of Kennedy's statement. 'It is an opinion piece.' The New York Times reports Kennedy, in an interview posted on Fox News last week, blamed the measles vaccination for harming children in West Texas, the site of several outbreaks, asserted it is difficult for measles to kill a healthy person, and blamed the West Texas cases on malnutrition. The measles vaccination is administered in two doses – the first between 12 and 15 months of age, and the second between 4 and 6 years old, and is 97% effective, according to experts. 'Higher vaccination rates provide greater protection for everyone- children and adults alike,' the Southern Nevada Health District said via email, adding it takes 'proactive steps to protect public health' during a measles outbreak. That response includes 'public education focused on vaccinations, enhanced surveillance, pre-established outbreak response plans, and close collaboration with community, state, and federal partners.' State law requires that kindergarten students in Nevada are vaccinated for: Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (whooping cough) Poliomyelitis (Polio) Rubella Rubeola (Measles); Additionally, the State Board of Health requires the following vaccines: Mumps Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Varicella (chicken pox) Bordatella pertussis (whooping cough) Meningitis (required in 7th grade) Exemptions from vaccination are available if a child can't be immunized because of a medical condition or vaccination is contrary to parents' or guardians' religious beliefs. Conditional enrollment of unvaccinated children is allowed under some circumstances, according to the state. If the State Board of Health determines a dangerous or contagious disease is present at a school and there is at least one student who is not vaccinated, the unvaccinated child must be immunized or 'be excluded from school,' according to a state website, for a period of time determined by the State Board of Health. 'When we do exclude a child, it serves multiple purposes,' says Labus. 'First and foremost, it protects the child. We don't want them attending a school during an outbreak because they are at high risk of disease and they would likely be exposed and get sick.' Excluding an unvaccinated child 'also helps prevent ongoing transmission within the school and helps to stop the outbreak. If the outbreak spreads to the teachers and staff, it may be difficult to continue to operate until the outbreak is over.' 'Measles vaccination doesn't just protect children—it safeguards our entire community,' Nancy Diao, ScD, Division Director of Epidemiology and Public Health Preparedness at Northern Nevada Public Health said in a news release. 'Pregnant individuals, immunocompromised people, and other high-risk groups may face severe complications from measles, and vaccination is the most effective way to prevent outbreaks and protect those who cannot be vaccinated themselves.' State health officials declined to provide specifics about any preparations in light of measles cases in other states. 'The Division of Public and Behavioral Health creates response plans for a wide range of public health threats. That includes diseases like measles,' the division said in an email.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Drugmakers prep for bird flu outbreak, despite continued low risk
This story was originally published on PharmaVoice. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily PharmaVoice newsletter. An H5N1 outbreak is killing flocks of wild birds in Massachusetts and sickening dairy cows in 16 states while a new strain of H5N9 bird flu has emerged in California. As bird flu continues to spread among animals, experts are on high alert for signs the virus has found the genetic key it needs to unlock a widespread problem for humans. For now, the risk to people is still low, even with a new strain on the rise. 'While the 67 human avian influenza cases can be tracked back to an animal source, there has been no reported human-to-human transmission — if that were to occur, then we might be facing another pandemic as almost no one would be immune,' said Jeffery A. Goad, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. 'The avian influenza virus needs to make genetic changes to allow it to be transmitted from person to person, and so far, it has not been able to do that.' For health professionals still reeling from the emotionally depleting COVID-19 pandemic, the prospect of another viral outbreak is harrowing. But experts say that unlike COVID, which was an entirely new virus, they won't start from scratch if avian influenza does crack the human code. There are already several available vaccines and treatments — and more in the pipeline — to combat the largely familiar foe. Even so, there are still unknowns. 'The biggest challenge we have right now is trying to figure out where this is going to go. If it keeps on the exact same path it's on right now, it's not going to be a problem. We're not going to see very many human cases outside of occupational exposures,' said Brian Labus, an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and statistics at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health. 'But that virus can always mutate and lead to something we've never dealt with before, and create a new set of problems.' Goad said the FDA has three approved H5N1 vaccines in the national stockpile and more in the pipeline. The approved vaccines include Audenz from Seqirus; a vaccine from Sanofi, licensed in 2007; and Arepanrix from GSK subsidiary ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec. The vaccines aren't available to the public but are ready to be rolled out in a health emergency. The stockpile also contains the raw materials to rapidly formulate enough vaccine doses for critical care workers and people at high risk for infection. 'The government has the raw material to make millions of additional doses within weeks, with more to come in the following months,' according to the U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. These vaccines are all made using traditional flu development technology. 'GSK's H5N1 pandemic vaccine can generate some cross-neutralizing antibodies against the current circulating strains and is recognized as an important tool in reducing illness during a possible H5N1 pandemic,' a GSK spokesperson said in an email. 'The vaccine is designed to be updated with the latest circulating strain of interest, as identified by the WHO.' ASPR granted Sanofi, Seqirus and GSK $72 million in October to manufacture vials or pre-filled syringes to get doses ready to distribute. 'The companies also will manufacture additional bulk influenza antigen — the component of vaccines that stimulates an immune response — from seed stocks that are well matched to circulating strains,' ASPR said. The government is also pouring money into mRNA vaccines, which can be manufactured and rolled out more quickly than traditional shots. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave Moderna $590 million to accelerate development of its mRNA influenza options, such as its investigational H5N1 candidate. Other companies also have mRNA options in the works. GSK is working on an mRNA pandemic flu candidate now in mid-stage development. Pfizer also has an mRNA option in the works that could be customized quickly to target the circulating flu strain, as does Arcturus Therapeutics. In addition to vaccines, there are also approved treatments for bird flu. 'We have a number of drugs that we use to treat seasonal influenza, including Tamiflu,' Labus said. 'Everything that we have that works against our seasonal flu is part of that arsenal against bird flu as well. The therapeutics are well developed at this point, and the drugs that we have would be effective. It's not like we're starting over with Coronavirus.' In addition, several companies are working on new antiviral options, including Traws Pharma, which is moving into phase 2 with a single-dose H5N1 bird flu antiviral, tivoxavir marboxil; CoCrystal Pharma's PB2 inhibitor CC-42344; and NV-387, a broad spectrum antiviral from NanoViricides. Health systems established to address COVID can also help public health officials tackle new threats. However, lingering anti-vaccination sentiment could create political headwinds and complicate the landscape if bird flu begins to spread in humans. 'Unfortunately, we also learned that the undercurrent of hesitancy to use these prevention strategies can lead to unnecessary harm and loss of life,' Goad said. 'We need to do a better job now of communicating the risks of avian influenza and educating the public about tools we have to prevent and treat it so people do not feel like it's 'new' or 'untested' when the next pandemic hits.' Recommended Reading Why H5N1 has scientists and regulators on edge
