Latest news with #RobertNott
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health officials report additional Eddy County measles case
Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy on January 26, 2015 in Mill Valley, California. (Photo by Illustration) New Mexico Health officials reported one additional New Mexico measles case Friday, this time an adult in Eddy County, bringing the total reported infections to 66. The slow drip of cases in recent weeks does not indicate the outbreak is abating, according to New Mexico Department of Health Communications Director Robert Nott, who told Source NM that symptoms can appear a week or more after infections. 'The seemingly slow increase in measles cases in New Mexico should not be taken as a sign we are anywhere near out of the woods with this outbreak,' Nott said in a written statement. 'We see continued measles spread in bordering areas — Mexico and Texas, for example — so there is always the potential for a new introduction of cases in New Mexico.' Nott also noted that cases may rise in coming weeks after recent Easter weekend gatherings, given that 'symptoms of measles do not appear until roughly a week (or more) after infection.' The majority of measles cases in New Mexico remain in Lea County, which has 61 cases; the state has had six hospitalizations since the outbreak began in neighboring Gaines County, Texas, just across the state line. Cases in Doña Ana and Chaves counties remain unchanged, with one reported case each. Texas health officials on Friday reported cases increased by an additional 22 infections, bringing the total there to 646. Measles is highly contagious, spread through contact with airborne droplets from an infected person. Infected people can spread the disease several days before symptoms such as fever, red eyes, cough or spotty red rash appear. Two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine offers 97% protection against catching the measles, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. While the majority of health professionals continue to recommend two doses of the vaccine as the safest and most effective prevention from contracting measles, a recent poll from nonpartisan health research organization KFF found nearly a quarter of their sample believed false claims about the vaccine. Poll: Belief in false measles claims correlated with lower vaccination rates Also this week, researchers from Stanford Medicine published findings that determined if vaccination rates drop further, measles (and other infectious diseases) could return in the U.S. after decades of eradication. Using a mathematical model to simulate the spread of diseases, researchers also found that if vaccination rates remain the same, measles may still make a comeback in the next two decades. Pediatrician Dr. Melissa Mason told Source NM she sees a measles comeback as a matter of potential life and death. 'With vaccination rates as they stand, without dropping more, we're still gonna see people get measles — get sick and die from this,' she said. Mason, who chairs the immunization committee for the New Mexico Pediatric Society, said she's been impressed with efforts from New Mexico health officials to vaccinate people in the Southeastern corner of the state. Statewide vaccination rates are nearly double from the same time frame last year, according to data released Tuesday. 'These are gold star efforts, and that's going to make a difference,' she said. 'But nationally, in other areas that continue to have lower rates than 95% coverage, we're going to continue to see measles.' Julia Goldberg contributed to the reporting of this story.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico adds two additional measles cases after holiday weekend
Blood sample positive with Measles virus. (iStock / Getty Images Plus) New Mexico health officials on Tuesday reported two new cases of measles, both in Lea County, bringing the state's total to 65 measles cases this year spread across four counties. Just over half of the cases in Lea, Eddy, Chavez and Doña Ana counties have been among children: with 18 cases in very young children aged 0 to four; 19 cases in school aged children; and 28 adult cases. The majority of cases, 61, are in Lea County, which neighbors Gaines County, Texas, the source of the outbreak that has infected more than 800 people as of Tuesday. Texas health officials reported 624 cases Tuesday, an increase of 27 since last Friday. The New Mexico Department of Health continues to urge vaccination, the most effective method to prevent contracting measles. 'Measles spread easily from person to person, which is why, despite small increases in positive case numbers as we saw in the past few days, we continue to encourage New Mexicans to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination – the best tool to protect yourself and those you love,' said NMDOH Communications Director Robert Nott. Since Feb. 1, about 20,300 New Mexicans have received a vaccine, nearly double the 10,860 vaccinated in the same time frame last year. Measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus, spreads through contact with airborne droplets from an infected person. Symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, eye redness, fever and spotty red rash, may take weeks to develop. Approximately one in five measles cases becomes serious enough to require hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infection can cause serious complications including brain swelling, blindness or death. Six hospitalizations have transpired over the course of the outbreak: five in Lea County and one in Doña Ana county, which reported its first case last week. The case may have exposed other people to measles in a Las Cruces daycare and hospital waiting rooms in early April, according to health officials. NMDOH requests that anyone exposed or showing symptoms call the state's measles helpline at 1-833-796-8773 for further vaccine information or measles testing available in English or Spanish. The department and hospitals are urging any exposed patients to contact doctor's offices or emergency rooms before coming in. In the early days of the measles outbreak, Nor-Lea Hospital in Lea County instituted procedures to prevent measles spread in the hospital, including requiring patients to mask up if experiencing symptoms or any exposures, minimizing spread and continuously disinfecting shared spaces. Troy Clark, the CEO for the New Mexico Hospital Association, praised Nor-Lea for sharing the protocol with other hospitals, though he couldn't say how many had adopted the same protocols. 'I think the collective efforts of our hospitals across the state provide high-quality care to protect our communities, keep them safe and healthy,' Clark told Source NM. 'The means of collaboration one with another to learn from others' experiences and to provide best practices, is intact, much like it was through the coronavirus pandemic.' Amanda Schoenberg, a spokesperson for New Mexico Presbyterian Healthcare Services, which has nine hospitals across the state, said the hospitals were following guidance from state officials in a written statement. 'At Presbyterian, we follow guidance from the New Mexico Department of Health regarding highly contagious diseases and ask that any patients who suspect they may have measles contact their health care provider before visiting a clinic or hospital setting,' Schoenberg wrote, 'If a patient arrives at a facility and measles is suspected, they would be asked to mask and be placed in an isolated area. Vaccines are highly effective in protecting against measles and we encourage community members to access MMR vaccines if they have not yet been vaccinated' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico Gov said measles reporting may look different as cases rise
Blood sample positive with Measles virus. (iStock / Getty Images Plus) New Mexico measles tracking may be more extensive in coming months as cases continue to rise in the state's southeast corner. The New Mexico Department of Health on Friday reported two additional measles cases for children ages 0 to 4-years old in Lea Count, as well as two additional hospitalizations there. The two new cases are not related to the hospitalizations, NMDOH Director of Communications Robert Nott told Source NM. Reported measles infections have so far been limited to three counties in the Southeast corner: Lea, Eddy and Chaves counties. Of the 58 total cases, the infections break down into: 15 cases in very young children; 16 cases in school-aged children ages 7 to 17; and 27 cases in adults. In response to questions from Source earlier this week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state would expand its measles reporting, somewhat in line with what was done with COVID-19, as cases grow. 'We'll do a rate of infection,' she said, 'and start to map that out.' The governor said the health department also would expand its 'whole measles education' outreach 'because infants to one-year-olds can't have the vaccine, which means there's no protection for them, so we have to really think about exposure where they are.' She said people can expect regular briefings on measles and infectious diseases. 'It's a great place for me to pitch,' she said. 'Please get a vaccine. If you haven't had a measles vaccine, get one. If you think you need a booster, get one. They're free.' The governor also noted her concern about the federal government's recent cancellation of billions of dollars in public health grants alongside massive layoffs. 'More than 50% of our budget is based in federal funds,' she said, and 'public health is a serious issue.' Nott previously told Source that the state lost approximately $60 million in federal funds. More recently, he confirmed that the department had canceled some contracts with 'community providers that provide outreach to underserved communities relating to vaccination efforts and education.' The department also lost 37 temporary staff, he said, 20 of whom helped order vaccines and checked vaccination records; four of whom worked in IT; and 13 who were community health workers with the department's Office of Border Health based in Las Cruces. Measles cases continue to rise elsewhere in the country, more than double the total cases reported in 2024. Texas health officials reported an additional 36 cases there, bringing the total to 541. Measles is a highly infectious respiratory disease spread through contact with droplets from infected people's coughs. These droplets can survive for hours in the air. People can transmit measles days before showing any of the symptoms such as fever, red eyes, cough, headache or the spotty red rash on the face and body. An estimated one in five cases has serious complications warranting hospitalization, including brain swelling, pneumonia or death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two doses of a vaccine is the best prevention against measles, according to health officials. Between Feb. 1 until April 10, more than 17,346 New Mexicans received vaccines, including 9,494 children and 7,852 adults. The latest data from Tuesday, shows that New Mexico's vaccination rate is more than double the same time frame in 2024. NMDOH is hosting 10 walk-in clinics for eight Southeastern counties, which you can find on the department's measles webpage, along with vaccine clinic events across the state. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
One measles case added in Lea, health officials on alert for further cases
Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy on January 26, 2015 in Mill Valley, California. (Photo by Illustration) New Mexico health officials reported one additional measles case in Lea County, bringing the total outbreak to 43 cases in the state. All reported infections are in the state's southeastern corner, with 41 cases in Lea County and two in Eddy County. Cases in New Mexico are split between children and adults, with eight infections in very young children, 11 in children aged 5 to 17-years old and 23 infections in adults. 'Just because we're seeing this small increase in cases, does not mean we see this as any sort of downward trend,' New Mexico Department of Health Communications Director Robert Nott told Source NM. 'We are still offering vaccination clinics and are encouraging people to go to their public health offices for vaccination information and vaccines at no cost.' NMDOH warned last week that a Texas traveler with measles exposed people to the virus in a gas station, restaurant, church and hotel in Guadalupe and Valencia counties in early March. NMDOH: Possible measles exposure in Guadalupe and Valencia counties Measles symptoms can take anywhere from one to three weeks to develop. Nott said there has been no update regarding any measles cases in Guadalupe and Valencia counties since NMDOH issued the health advisory. Measles, one of the most contagious diseases in the world, is a respiratory virus spread by contact with droplets in the air, which can linger for hours. People can spread the virus several days before symptoms such as fever, spotty red rash, cough, runny nose or red eyes appear. About one in five cases is serious enough to warrant hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complications from measles include brain swelling, blindness, pneumonia and death. The most effective prevention against the measles is two doses of the measles, mumps rubella vaccine, according to health officials. In Texas, health officials on Tuesday reported another 18 cases, totaling 327 infections since the outbreak began in late January, mostly impacting unvaccinated children. The deaths of a 6-year old Texas child, and a Lea County adult, both unvaccinated, earlier this year are the first measles deaths in the U.S. in 10 years. Just over 13,000 New Mexicans received a vaccine between Feb. 1 and March 21, which is more than double the vaccine rate in the same time last year, Nott said. NMDOH directs any questions about measles tests, symptoms or vaccines to the Helpline at 1-833-796-8773. The helpline is staffed by nurses who can answer questions in English or Spanish. Vaccine records can be found at the Vax View website or by calling the NMDOH immunization program at 1-833-882-6454, available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here's an updated list of vaccine clinics hosted by the New Mexico Department of Health:
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico measles cases continue to rise in SE corner
Pruritus is the spotty red rash from measles. A measles outbreak has infected 124 people in west Texas and 10 people in southeastern New Mexico. (iStock / Getty Images Plus) New Mexico on Friday reported four new measles cases in Lea county — bringing the total statewide to 42 infections, all in the state's southeast corner. The small rise in cases doesn't indicate the end of the outbreak, NMDOH Communications Director Robert Nott told Source NM. 'We don't want people to think the threat of measles is declining or over,' he said. 'We're still in spring break for some school districts and people are traveling.' Current measles cases include eight young children aged 0 to 4-years old; 10 school aged children and 23 infections in adults. On Tuesday, The New Mexico Department of Health warned that a Texas traveler earlier this month exposed people in Guadalupe and Valencia counties to measles over the course of two days at a church, restaurant, gas station and hotel. NMDOH: Possible measles exposure in Guadalupe and Valencia counties Health officials said they have no additional information since issuing the advisory. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus and symptoms may take one to three weeks to develop. People can spread the disease before they experience symptoms such as a fever, spotty red rash, cough, runny nose or red eyes. About one in every five infections is serious enough to warrant hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Serious complications from measles include brain swelling, blindness, pneumonia and death. One dose of the vaccine offers 93% protection against the measles, while two doses offers 97% protection, according to the CDC. Texas health officials on Friday announced 30 more cases, bringing the total there to 309 cases, mostly concentrated in Gaines County, Texas, which has one of the lowest kindergarten vaccine rates in Texas. Most measles infections struck unvaccinated children. The outbreak led to the first recorded measles deaths in a decade: a Texas six-year old girl, and an unidentified adult in Lea County, which remains under investigation. Check vaccine records at Vax View website or call the Department of Health's immunization program at 1-833-882-6454, available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. NMDOH directs any questions about measles tests, symptoms or vaccines to the Helpline at 1-833-796-8773. The helpline is staffed by nurses who can answer questions in English or Spanish. Here's an updated list of vaccine clinics hosted by the New Mexico Department of Health: SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
