Latest news with #JillBronaugh
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Measles cases jump to 46 in eight southwest counties as new Kansas law restricts health officials
Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group, spoke recently at a University of Kansas Health System panel, addressing concerns about the measles outbreak. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health video) TOPEKA — New legislation may make it more difficult for public health officials to manage a measles outbreak, which has increased by nine cases. Measles cases in Kansas jumped from 37 to 46 over the past week, with all cases located in southwest counties, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment data released Wednesday morning. KDHE spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh said the state agency is working with local health departments to communicate about measles and to educate the public. But the Legislature's passage of Senate Bill 29 may complicate the ability of local health officials to react to the increasing number of measles cases. This bill removed the ability of local health officials to ban public gatherings during infectious disease outbreaks and added the expectation that health officials show probable cause if they quarantine or isolate individuals during an outbreak. The bill says those who are quarantined can file a civil lawsuit that must be heard within 72 hours if they believe the decision was unjust. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill, but the Republican-led Legislature overturned her veto. 'Taking away the authority of public health officials to prohibit public gatherings and issue quarantines, when necessary, contradicts effective, evidence-based health intervention advice, but we will do all we can to protect the health of the communities we are entrusted to serve,' Bronaugh said. Sen. Bill Clifford, a Republican ophthalmologist from Garden City, expressed concern during hearings that not all cases of measles are being reported. 'This weekend I spoke to several pediatricians. In an affected family, one member is going in,' he said, speaking at a time when there were 31 reported measles cases. 'In fact, they won't allow them in the pediatric clinic. We have well babies there and we don't want to infect them. That one family member is the signal case of what's going on in the family, and the families are not coming in.' KDHE updated its measles dashboard Wednesday morning to highlight the number of cases and the affected counties: Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Haskell, Kiowa, Morton and Stevens. In addition, it shows vaccination data, which indicates that 39 people with measles were unvaccinated, one did not have age-appropriate vaccinations, three did not have verified vaccination status and three were age-appropriately vaccinated. One person has been hospitalized. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System, said fully vaccinated people can get the disease, but typically have fewer complications and overall less severity of illness. With one dose of the vaccine, people have 93% protection from measles, and after two doses, 97% protection, he said. Measles was considered eliminated in 2000 but has since popped up throughout the United States, typically in unvaccinated communities. Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group, joined a panel of University of Kansas Health System experts to talk about how we got to where we are today and to address vaccine skepticism. Poland explained what it means to eliminate a disease. 'You need a robust surveillance system. You need to know are you seeing cases, and are they measles,' he said. 'Then what you have to have is documentation of interruption of indigenous transmission for at least 12 months. We are very likely going to lose that, and that is a real shame because achieving that in 2000 was a monumental public health achievement.' Indigenous transmission refers to the spread of a disease within a population and is not coming from contact that began with someone outside the community, such as during a trip abroad. Poland said the vaccine that has been available since 1968 is 'well documented to be protective and to have minimal side effects.' 'It always bothers me when people say, 'Well, isn't natural immunity better.' Before there was a measles vaccine in the U.S., essentially every child got it, so three to four million people a year. Forty-eight thousand of those kids ended up sick enough that they were hospitalized, 1,000 of them developed encephalitis, and 500 of them on average each year died. That's what natural immunity gets you,' Poland said. Side effects of the vaccine are a few cases of low platelets, transient fever and possibly a rash, he said. No known deaths related to the MMR vaccine given to healthy people have been reported, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Rare cases of deaths from vaccine side effects among children are connected to those who are immune compromised, and it is recommended they not get the vaccine. Unfortunately, Hawkinson said, times have changed in terms of how much people listen to medical professionals and how they assess scientific research. Right now is different than in 2019, when the most recent measles outbreak occurred. 'There are major points and reasons why this is much different,' he said. 'I think it is in the context of extreme disinformation and misinformation and mistrust of medicine and public health. Mistrust of science. We have to get back to knowing and understanding what is true, but it is just so difficult out there.' Hawkinson pointed to an overall decreased willingness to listen to and adhere to medical guidance and recommendations. 'We don't do that when we listen to our plumbers, our mechanics, our lawyers,' he said. And, he said, overall vaccination rates have declined. 'Many areas locally here in Kansas and Missouri are down to 90% (of people vaccinated),' he said. 'You will only see more patients developing this disease and, unfortunately, the complications that come along with it.'
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Measles Updates: Cases In The U.S. Near 900 As Texas Outbreak Spreads
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed nearly 900 measles cases in the U.S. on Friday, though much of the measles cases in the country remain centered in Texas, which confirmed earlier this week there have been 624 cases of the highly contagious illness in the state this year. Most of the cases in the U.S. are centered in Texas. There have been 884 confirmed cases of measles across 30 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the CDC on Friday, far surpassing the 285 measles cases reported in the entirety of 2024 (the CDC does not provide data on how many cases are actively infectious). The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its measles outbreak had grown to 624 cases as of Tuesday, with 64 of the patients having been hospitalized and two school-aged children confirmed dead from the illness since January. Fewer than 10 of the confirmed cases are estimated to be actively infectious, according to Texas health officials. The Texas health department said 22 of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 602 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status. In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 61 of the state's 66 confirmed cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas' measles cases have been detected. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 37 confirmed cases as of Friday, and Jill Bronaugh, the department's communications director, previously told Forbes genetic sequencing of one case is 'consistent' with a link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. There have been 386 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. Cases have reached double digits in Terry County (54), Lubbock County (47), Dawson County (23), El Paso (20), Yoakum County (19), Cochran County (12), Lamar County (11) and Ector County (10) with a total of 26 Texas counties confirming cases of the illness. An eight-year-old girl died in Lubbock, Texas, of 'measles pulmonary failure' earlier this month after contracting the disease, The New York Times first reported, with the hospital where she died, UMC Health System, confirming the death to media outlets, noting the child was unvaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions. An unvaccinated six-year-old also died of measles in February, marking the first death from measles in the U.S. in a decade. Some 236 of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 186 cases were among children younger than five and 178 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 24 patients have not been stated. The CDC has reported 11 outbreaks (three or more related cases) in 2025, with 93% of confirmed cases (751 of the 800) being outbreak-associated. Cases in Kansas have been linked to New Mexico, which has cases connected to the Texas outbreak. Outside of triple or double-digit cases in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio and Pennsylvania, anywhere from one to nine cases have been confirmed by the CDC in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York City, New York state, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Symptoms of measles include a fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose and red eyes. The symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and can appear as late as 21 days after exposure. Measles is highly contagious and can spread from one person to nine out of 10 people close to them, according to the CDC, which notes a person infected with measles can spread it to others four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles can spread through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces and linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after infected people leave a given area. People infected with measles should isolate for four days after they develop a rash, with the day of rash onset being considered day zero. Yes, and it is highly effective and safe, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which has been available for over half a century, is about 97% effective at preventing measles with the standard two doses and 93% effective with one dose. The vaccine is typically given to people when they are children, with one dose administered between 12 to 15 months and another administered between four to six years old. The vaccine generally provides long-term or lifelong protection. There is no problem with getting the vaccine if you are an adult unsure of their vaccination status, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NPR. Adults born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider getting revaccinated, NPR reported, noting early measles vaccines are not as effective. After initially claiming the measles outbreak was 'not unusual,' Kennedy changed his stance and considered it 'serious,' saying in a since-removed March 3 statement the outbreak 'is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.' On April 6, Kennedy said the 'most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.' In a separate follow-up post, the HHS leader touted 'two extraordinary healers' who treated measles-sickened children in Texas with budesonide, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic used on bacterial infections. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, told NPR that budesonide has no role in treating measles while clarithromycin is not the correct antibiotic for treating secondary bacterial infections from measles. Kennedy furthered his support for the vaccine in an interview with CBS News, saying, 'The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,' though he did not say the government should mandate the vaccine. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with measles, creating concerns among health experts who have cautioned about the vitamin's effectiveness. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post that solely relying on vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine is 'dangerous and ineffective' and can put children at risk, noting too much vitamin A can 'cause serious health problems, including liver damage.' 'Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,' according to The Texas Department of State Health Services. The Texas measles outbreak began in late January with just two cases and has become the state's largest outbreak of the virus in 30 years. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a report of student immunization status for the 2023-2024 school year that 5.64% of Texas kindergarten students were not vaccinated for measles, while 2.34% of seventh graders had not received the vaccine. Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S. In 2024, a total of 285 measles cases were reported across 33 states. Measles cases are rising in the U.S. Do adults need a vaccine booster? (NPR)
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Measles Updates: Illinois Reports First Case Of 2025
Illinois health officials reported the state's first case of measles of the year Wednesday, though much of the measles cases in the U.S. remain centered in Texas, which confirmed earlier this week there have been 624 cases of the highly contagious illness this year. Most of the cases in the U.S. are centered in Texas. The Illinois Department of Public Health said risk of community transmission remains low after confirming the measles case in an adult Wednesday, which marked the first measles case in Illinois since a 2024 outbreak in Chicago, resulting in 67 cases. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its measles outbreak had grown to 624 cases as of Tuesday, with 64 of the patients having been hospitalized and two school-aged children confirmed dead from the illness since January. Less than 10 of the confirmed cases are estimated to be actively infectious, according to Texas health officials. The Texas health department said 22 of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 602 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status. There have been 800 confirmed cases of measles across 25 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the CDC on Friday, far surpassing the 285 measles cases reported in the entirety of 2024 (the CDC does not provide data on how many cases are actively infectious). In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 61 of the state's 65 confirmed cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas' measles cases have been detected. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 37 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, and Jill Bronaugh, the department's communications director, previously told Forbes genetic sequencing of one case is 'consistent' with a link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Health officials in Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia confirmed their first measles cases of the year Friday and Saturday, with all three of the respective cases being linked to international travel (the CDC's Friday update does not account for these cases). Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. There have been 386 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. Cases have reached double digits in Terry County (54), Lubbock County (47), Dawson County (23), El Paso (20), Yoakum County (19), Cochran County (12), Lamar County (11) and Ector County (10) with a total of 26 Texas counties confirming cases of the illness. An eight-year-old girl died in Lubbock, Texas, of 'measles pulmonary failure' earlier this month after contracting the disease, The New York Times first reported, with the hospital where she died, UMC Health System, confirming the death to media outlets, noting the child was unvaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions. An unvaccinated six-year-old also died of measles in February, marking the first death from measles in the U.S. in a decade. Some 236 of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 186 cases were among children younger than five and 178 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 24 patients have not been stated. The CDC has reported 10 outbreaks (three or more related cases) in 2025, with 94% of confirmed cases (751 of the 800) being outbreak-associated. Cases in Kansas have been linked to New Mexico, which has cases connected to the Texas outbreak. Outside of double-digit cases in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Ohio, anywhere from one to nine cases have been confirmed by the CDC in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York City, New York state, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington. The few cases confirmed in Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia have not been noted by the CDC. Symptoms of measles include a fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose and red eyes. The symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and can appear as late as 21 days after exposure. Measles is highly contagious and can spread from one person to nine out of 10 people close to them, according to the CDC, which notes a person infected with measles can spread it to others four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles can spread through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces and linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after infected people leave a given area. People infected with measles should isolate for four days after they develop a rash, with the day of rash onset being considered day zero. Yes, and it is highly effective and safe, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which has been available for over half a century, is about 97% effective at preventing measles with the standard two doses and 93% effective with one dose. The vaccine is typically given to people when they are children, with one dose administered between 12 to 15 months and another administered between four to six years old. The vaccine generally provides long-term or lifelong protection. There is no problem with getting the vaccine if you are an adult unsure of their vaccination status, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NPR. Adults born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider getting revaccinated, NPR reported, noting early measles vaccines are not as effective. After initially claiming the measles outbreak was 'not unusual,' Kennedy changed his stance and considered it 'serious,' saying in a since-removed March 3 statement the outbreak 'is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.' On April 6, Kennedy said the 'most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.' In a separate follow-up post, the HHS leader touted 'two extraordinary healers' who treated measles-sickened children in Texas with budesonide, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic used on bacterial infections. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, told NPR that budesonide has no role in treating measles while clarithromycin is not the correct antibiotic for treating secondary bacterial infections from measles. Kennedy furthered his support for the vaccine in an interview with CBS News, saying, 'The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,' though he did not say the government should mandate the vaccine. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with measles, creating concerns among health experts who have cautioned about the vitamin's effectiveness. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post that solely relying on vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine is 'dangerous and ineffective' and can put children at risk, noting too much vitamin A can 'cause serious health problems, including liver damage.' 'Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,' according to The Texas Department of State Health Services. The Texas measles outbreak began in late January with just two cases and has become the state's largest outbreak of the virus in 30 years. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a report of student immunization status for the 2023-2024 school year that 5.64% of Texas kindergarten students were not vaccinated for measles, while 2.34% of seventh graders had not received the vaccine. Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S. In 2024, a total of 285 measles cases were reported across 33 states. Measles cases are rising in the U.S. Do adults need a vaccine booster? (NPR)
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Measles Updates: Texas Outbreak Surpasses 600 Cases After Illness Spreads To 25 States
Texas health officials reported Tuesday there have been 624 confirmed cases of measles in the state this year, providing the update a few days after the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 800 confirmed cases of the illness in the U.S. so far in 2025. Most of the cases in the U.S. are centered in Texas. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its measles outbreak had grown to 624 cases as of Tuesday, with 64 of the patients having been hospitalized and two school-aged children confirmed dead from the illness since January. Less than 10 of the confirmed cases are estimated to be actively infectious, according to Texas health officials. The Texas health department said 22 of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 602 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status. There have been 800 confirmed cases of measles across 25 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the CDC on Friday, far surpassing the 285 measles cases reported in the entirety of 2024 (the CDC does not provide data on how many cases are actively infectious). In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 61 of the state's 65 confirmed cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas' measles cases have been detected. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 37 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, and Jill Bronaugh, the department's communications director, previously told Forbes genetic sequencing of one case is 'consistent' with a link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Health officials in Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia confirmed their first measles cases of the year Friday and Saturday, with all three of the respective cases being linked to international travel (the CDC's Friday update does not account for these cases). Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. There have been 386 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. Cases have reached double digits in Terry County (54), Lubbock County (47), Dawson County (23), El Paso (20), Yoakum County (19), Cochran County (12), Lamar County (11) and Ector County (10) with a total of 26 Texas counties confirming cases of the illness. An eight-year-old girl died in Lubbock, Texas, of 'measles pulmonary failure' earlier this month after contracting the disease, The New York Times first reported, with the hospital where she died, UMC Health System, confirming the death to media outlets, noting the child was unvaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions. An unvaccinated six-year-old also died of measles in February, marking the first death from measles in the U.S. in a decade. Some 236 of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 186 cases were among children younger than five and 178 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 24 patients have not been stated. Outside of Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Ohio, anywhere from one to nine cases have been confirmed by the CDC in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, New York state, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Symptoms of measles include a fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose and red eyes. The symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and can appear as late as 21 days after exposure. Measles is highly contagious and can spread from one person to nine out of 10 people close to them, according to the CDC, which notes a person infected with measles can spread it to others four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles can spread through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces and linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after infected people leave a given area. People infected with measles should isolate for four days after they develop a rash, with the day of rash onset being considered day zero. Yes, and it is highly effective and safe, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which has been available for over half a century, is about 97% effective at preventing measles with the standard two doses and 93% effective with one dose. The vaccine is typically given to people when they are children, with one dose administered between 12 to 15 months and another administered between four to six years old. The vaccine generally provides long-term or lifelong protection. There is no problem with getting the vaccine if you are an adult unsure of their vaccination status, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NPR. Adults born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider getting revaccinated, NPR reported, noting early measles vaccines are not as effective. After initially claiming the measles outbreak was 'not unusual,' Kennedy changed his stance and considered it 'serious,' saying in a since-removed March 3 statement the outbreak 'is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.' On April 6, Kennedy said the 'most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.' In a separate follow-up post, the HHS leader touted 'two extraordinary healers' who treated measles-sickened children in Texas with budesonide, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic used on bacterial infections. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, told NPR that budesonide has no role in treating measles while clarithromycin is not the correct antibiotic for treating secondary bacterial infections from measles. Kennedy furthered his support for the vaccine in an interview with CBS News, saying, 'The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,' though he did not say the government should mandate the vaccine. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with measles, creating concerns among health experts who have cautioned about the vitamin's effectiveness. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post that solely relying on vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine is 'dangerous and ineffective' and can put children at risk, noting too much vitamin A can 'cause serious health problems, including liver damage.' 'Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,' according to The Texas Department of State Health Services. The Texas measles outbreak began in late January with just two cases and has become the state's largest outbreak of the virus in 30 years. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a report of student immunization status for the 2023-2024 school year that 5.64% of Texas kindergarten students were not vaccinated for measles, while 2.34% of seventh graders had not received the vaccine. Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S. In 2024, a total of 285 measles cases were reported across 33 states. Measles cases are rising in the U.S. Do adults need a vaccine booster? (NPR)
Forbes
20-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Measles Updates: 800 Cases In U.S. As Illness Spreads To Louisiana, Missouri And Virginia
Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia this weekend reported their first measles cases of the year, not long after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 800 confirmed cases of the illness in the U.S. so far in 2025, making the announcement as the highly contagious illness reached at least half of the states in the country—though most cases remain in Texas. Health officials in Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia confirmed their first measles cases of the year Friday and Saturday, with all three of the respective cases being linked to international travel. The Louisiana resident is an unvaccinated adult, while the Missouri and Virginia residents are both children with unverified vaccination statuses. Excluding the cases from the three states, there have been 800 confirmed cases of measles across 25 states so far this year, according to the latest update from the CDC on Friday, far surpassing the 285 measles cases reported in the entirety of 2024 (the CDC does not provide data on how many cases are actively infectious). The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its measles outbreak had grown to 597 cases as of Friday, with 62 of the patients having been hospitalized and two school-aged children confirmed dead from the illness. Less than 30 of the confirmed cases are estimated to be actively infectious, according to Texas health officials. The Texas health department said 22 of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 575 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status. In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 59 of the state's 63 confirmed cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas' measles cases have been detected. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 37 confirmed cases as of Friday, and Jill Bronaugh, the department's communications director, previously told Forbes genetic sequencing of one case is 'consistent' with a link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here. There have been 371 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. Cases have reached double digits in Terry County (52), Lubbock County (42), Dawson County (24), Yoakum County (19), Lamar County (11) and Cochran County (12), with a total of 25 Texas counties confirming cases of the illness. An eight-year-old girl died in Lubbock, Texas, of 'measles pulmonary failure' after contracting the disease, the New York Times first reported, with the hospital where she died, UMC Health System, confirming the death to media outlets, noting the child was unvaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions. An unvaccinated six-year-old also died of measles in February, marking the first death from measles in the U.S. in a decade. Some 219 of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 182 cases were among children younger than five and 172 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 24 patients have not been stated. Outside of Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Ohio, anywhere from one to nine cases have been confirmed by the CDC in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York City, New York State, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington. Symptoms of measles include a fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose and red eyes. The symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus and can appear as late as 21 days after exposure. Measles is highly contagious and can spread from one person to nine out of 10 people close to them, according to the CDC, which notes a person infected with measles can spread it to others four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles can spread through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces and linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after infected people leave a given area. People infected with measles should isolate for four days after they develop a rash, with the day of rash onset being considered day zero. Yes, and it is highly effective and safe, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which has been available for over half a century, is about 97% effective at preventing measles with the standard two doses and 93% effective with one dose. The vaccine is typically given to people when they are children, with one dose administered between 12 to 15 months and another administered between four to six years old. The vaccine generally provides long-term or lifelong protection. There is no problem with getting the vaccine if you are an adult unsure of their vaccination status, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NPR. Adults born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider getting revaccinated, NPR reported, noting early measles vaccines are not as effective. After initially claiming the measles outbreak was 'not unusual,' Kennedy changed his stance and considered it 'serious,' saying in a since-removed March 3 statement the outbreak 'is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.' On April 6, Kennedy said the 'most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.' In a separate follow-up post, the HHS leader touted 'two extraordinary healers' who treated measles-sickened children in Texas with budesonide, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic used on bacterial infections. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, told NPR that budesonide has no role in treating measles while clarithromycin is not the correct antibiotic for treating secondary bacterial infections from measles. Kennedy furthered his support for the vaccine in an interview with CBS News, saying, 'The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,' though he did not say the government should mandate the vaccine. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with measles, creating concerns among health experts who have cautioned about the vitamin's effectiveness. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post that solely relying on vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine is 'dangerous and ineffective' and can put children at risk, noting too much vitamin A can 'cause serious health problems, including liver damage.' 'Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,' according to The Texas Department of State Health Services. The Texas measles outbreak began in late January with just two cases and has become the state's largest outbreak of the virus in 30 years. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a report of student immunization status for the 2023-2024 school year that 5.64% of Texas kindergarten students were not vaccinated for measles, while 2.34% of seventh graders had not received the vaccine. Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S. In 2024, a total of 285 measles cases were reported across 33 states. Measles cases are rising in the U.S. Do adults need a vaccine booster? (NPR) One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: So, how can you be a power user? Thanks for reading our community guidelines. 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