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Time of India
an hour ago
- Health
- Time of India
Measles outbreaks in Michigan and Pennsylvania end, while Texas logs just 4 new cases
New York: The U.S. logged 122 more cases of measles last week - but only four of them in Texas - while the outbreaks in Pennsylvania and Michigan officially ended. There were 1,168 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Health officials in Texas, where the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, said they'll now post case counts only once a week - yet another sign the outbreak is slowing. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,009 cases from mid-October through June 3. The province logged its first death Thursday in a baby that got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions. Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 761 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 1,940 measles cases and four deaths as of Friday, according to data from the state health ministry. Other U.S. states with active outbreaks - which the CDC defines as three or more related cases - include Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma. In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated. Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. How many measles cases are there in Texas? There were a total of 742 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Friday. Throughout the outbreak, 94 people have been hospitalized. State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases - fewer than 10 - are actively infectious. Fifty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 411 cases since late January - just under 2% of the county's residents. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of "what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure." A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. How many measles cases are there in New Mexico? New Mexico added two cases in the last week for a total of 81. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. How many cases are there in Oklahoma? Oklahoma added one case last week for a total of 15 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. How many cases are there in Colorado? Colorado has seen a total of 12 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of seven related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May, and includes three cases each in Arapahoe and El Paso counties and one in Denver, plus a person who doesn't live in Colorado. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. How many cases are there in Illinois? Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state, and it's grown to eight cases as of June 6, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state's other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. How many cases are there in Kansas? Kansas has a total of 71 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but two of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. How many cases are there in Montana? Montana had 17 measles cases as of Thursday. Ten were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up - Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had three case. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. How many cases are there in North Dakota? North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of Friday. Two of the people have been hospitalized, and all of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state on the Minnesota border, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. How many cases are there in Ohio? Ohio remained steady for a third week at 34 measles cases and one hospitalization, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That count includes only Ohio residents. The state has two outbreaks: Ashtabula County near Cleveland has 16 cases, and Knox County in east-central Ohio has 20 - 14 among Ohio residents and the rest among visitors. Allen, Cuyahoga, Holmes and Defiance counties have one case each. How many cases are there in Tennessee? Tennessee has had six measles cases since early May, but no change since. Tennessee's outbreak appears to be over, as health officials say there have not been any new cases in six weeks. Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.? Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania were declared over by health officials after six weeks of no new cases. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year, and most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine? The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from "killed" virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune, and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have "presumptive immunity." Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates - above 95% - due to "herd immunity." But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. What are the symptoms of measles? Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. How can you treat measles? There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
US CDC keeps recommendation of Covid-19 vaccines for healthy kids
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr had earlier said the CDC would stop recommending routine Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. PHOTO: REUTERS US CDC keeps recommendation of Covid-19 vaccines for healthy kids WASHINGTON - The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children, according to its latest published immunisation schedule. The schedule, published late on May 29 by the public health agency, comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr - alongside the heads of the FDA and the National Institutes of Health - earlier this week said the CDC would stop recommending routine Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. The makers of Covid-19 vaccines sold in the US - Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax - did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Mr Kennedy Jr, FDA commissioner Marty Makary and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya had said in a video that the shots were removed from the CDC's recommended immunisation schedule. The CDC, following its panel of outside experts, previously recommended updated Covid-19 vaccines for everyone aged six months and older, and current recommendations are in line with those made before. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
NDTV
27-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
"Couldn't Be Happier": Vaccine-Hating US Health Chief Ends Select Covid Jabs
Washington DC: COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended in the United States for children and pregnant women who are healthy, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior, who has been a staunch critic of vaccines in general, has announced. Describing his decision as "common sense", Mr Kennedy Jr shared a video on social media platform X, in which he said, "I couldn't be more pleased to announce that as of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommended immunisation schedule." His announcement comes days after officials in the US Food and Drug Administration or FDA said they would limit the approval of Covid vaccines and boosters - which proved to be a life-saver during the pandemic and helped curb the potency of the virus, especially in senior citizens, children, and pregnant women. The US government has said that the move will align the United States with several of its allies in Europe where annual boosters are recommend only for the elderly and those with comorbidities (illnesses like diabetes, etc). It must be noted that while countries like Britain, Germany, and France's decisions are only for booster doses, the US has done away with the two-dose vaccine entirely for children and pregnant women. The US FDA has also told vaccine manufacturers to carry out fresh clinical trials in order to retain its permits to be able to sell it for use to healthy people under the age of 65. These moves have drawn sharp criticism from medical experts. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, told news agency AFP that while the new approach matched that taken by other countries, "I do think, however, that the initial Covid-19 vaccine series should be part of routine childhood immunization." Paul Offit, a top vaccine expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, warned the change could restrict access for people who still want boosters, particularly under the US's privatized health care system, where insurers may decline coverage. The decision to revoke the vaccine for women who are pregnant marks a major shift from the CDC's original guidelines which were approved under the Biden Administration. As on Tuesday morning, the CDC website guidelines, which reflects the original recommendation, states that "If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to those who are not pregnant." The US Health Secretary's new rules are yet to be uploaded on the CDC website. Though he denies being an anti-vaxxer, Robert F Kennedy Junior has a known history of promoting misinformation about vaccines, and has for long vehemently opposed the COVID-19 vaccines in particular.
Mint
13-05-2025
- Health
- Mint
US Health Secretary Kennedy Jr. swims with his grandchildren in contaminated waters despite an advisory
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently shared photos of himself and his grandchildren swimming in contaminated waters in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C., despite a National Park Service advisory against coming into contact with the water. According to the advisory, swimming and wading are not permitted 'due to high bacteria levels.' In one of the photos posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, Kennedy Jr. is seen fully submerged in the water, with his grandchildren swimming nearby. 'Mother's Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek,' Kennedy Jr. wrote on X. 'Stay out of the water to protect streambanks, plants and animals and keep you and your family (including pets!) safe from illness,' the advisory said. 'Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health,' it added. The authorities have banned swimming in Rock Creek, the Potomac River and other nearby waters since 1971 because of contamination. The Health and Human Services Secretary's swimming photos are the latest in a string of outdoor activities that have drawn public attention. Last year, Kennedy said that he had received a letter from the National Marine Fisheries Institute for his collection of a whale specimen from 20 years before. He had also said that once he picked up a bear cub that was hit by a vehicle with plans to skin it, but instead left it in New York City's Central Park. Kennedy Jr's post has garnered more than 1 million views and several comments. Here are some of the comments X users posted on Kennedy Jr's post. 'They have these signs all over the park man did you whole family just ignore them.' 'Really dumb to be resistant to almost everything: Rules, law, respect and wisdom. It's dangerous and forbidden to swim and bathe in these waters.' 'This moron and his unfortunate grandchildren swam in a creek that is used for sewage runoff and that is heavily contaminated with feces. Swimming is entirely banned in this creek. However, #RFKJr is a reckless imbecile. Just hoping the kids don't get sick.' 'Yes Robert please convince all of your believers to play in human shit and piss. Tell them it will boost their immune system if they smear it all over themselves. You have the power.' 'The Trump regime lackeys are not only metaphorical but literal residents of the sewerage. RFK Jr swimming with his grandchildren in a sewage creek with extremely high levels of faecal contamination where swimming is banned.'
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
RFK Jr urged probe into 'extra gunshots' theory in father's assassination during Obama's term
US health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr had called for a new probe into his father's 1968 assassination, citing audio evidence that allegedly captured more gunshots than the convicted killer's revolver could fire. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As per The New York Post, Kennedy Jr wrote to then-Attorney General Eric Holder in 2012, requesting that the Obama administration review a recording made during the shooting at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The letter was revealed Wednesday in a newly released batch of over 60,000 documents made public under a Trump-era executive order to declassify records related to the assassinations of Robert F Kennedy, John F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. The documents had been stored across federal agencies for decades and were digitised by the office of the director of national intelligence, currently led by Tulsi Gabbard. 'Today's release is an important step toward maximum transparency, finding the truth, and sharing the truth,' Gabbard posted on Truth Social. In his 2012 letter, RFK Jr included an appeal from Paul Schrade, a former United Auto Workers official who was wounded during the attack. 'He was standing beside my father when Daddy was killed and Paul was himself wounded by a bullet,' Kennedy Jr wrote, backing Schrade's claim that fresh evidence demanded a reinvestigation. Schrade and his legal team, including former US attorney Rob Bonner, believed a newly discovered tape suggested 'two gunmen fired at least 13 shots from two different .22 caliber revolvers and from opposing directions,' according to The New York Post. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted assassin, used an eight-shot revolver and was not seen reloading, raising suspicions that multiple shooters were involved. The FBI's Los Angeles Field Office took up the matter and passed the recording, captured by a journalist at the crime scene, to the Digital Evidence Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. However, their 2013 report concluded that the recording was too poor in quality to confirm the number or direction of gunshots. 'The designated area recorded on specimen Q1 was of insufficient quality to definitively classify the impulse events as gunshots,' the FBI report stated. While the newly released documents, as per The New York Times, include transcripts of interviews with Sirhan and other materials already available in California's state archives since the 1980s, they have yet to reveal any bombshell findings. Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archive was quoted by The Times saying, 'We have always known who assassinated RFK, because he was shot in front of a lot of people... So this collection can't be expected to change that history.' Despite the public release and RFK Jr's continued doubts, Sirhan Sirhan remains behind bars in California. His 2021 parole request, which RFK Jr supported, was ultimately rejected by Governor Gavin Newsom.
