Latest news with #TDSHS
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee adds more REAL ID appointments ahead of federal implementation date
TENNESSEE (WHNT) — The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said it would add more appointment dates for residents to get their REAL ID ahead of the May 7 federal implementation date. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said on Saturday, April 5, 19 additional Driver Services Centers will be open by appointment only for residents to get their REAL ID. The REAL ID adds a little star symbol on your driver's license. The star indicates that the ID meets the security standards set by the REAL ID Act. The special Saturday openings are limited to customers seeking a REAL ID and are by appointment only. Appointments are available to customers with valid Tennessee driver's licenses or identification cards and who bring the required documentation. Appointments must be scheduled in advance on the Tennessee REAL ID website here. 'This is all about being responsive to the needs of Tennesseans,' said Commissioner Jeff Long. 'We know many people have work, school or family obligations during the week. That's why we're expanding access on a Saturday — to give customers more flexibility.' The Federal Implementation Date is May 7. THSDS said this is NOT the deadline to get a REAL ID, but rather the day the government will be enforcing the REAL ID requirement. Once the REAL ID requirement kicks in, federal agencies like TSA will be prohibited from accepting state-issued IDs that do not meet the necessary standards. However, Tennessee residents can continue to get a REAL ID after May 7. TDSHS said there is no state-imposed deadline and that an existing Tennessee driver's license or ID will still be valid for other purposes such as driving, voting or accessing emergency services. 'If you're unsure whether you need a REAL ID, visit said Assistant Commissioner Russell Shoup. 'If you don't fly or access secure federal sites, you may not need one at all. But if you do, we want to make sure you have access to get one without stress.' After May 7, a REAL ID (or an alternative like a valid U.S. passport or military ID) will be required to board commercial domestic flights and enter secure federal facilities, such as military bases or federal buildings. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, instituting a national minimum requirement for state driver's licenses and ID cards. The requirements are that states must now at least require proof of your legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, legal residency and two forms verifying your address before issuing a driver's license or ID card. TDSHS said customers in urban or high-demand areas should consider booking appointments at Driver Services Centers in neighboring counties. The participating Driver Services Centers for REAL ID appointments on April 5 are: Oak Ridge Knoxville – Strawberry Plains Rockwood Bonny Oaks Morristown Johnson City Hickory Hollow Lebanon Murfreesboro – Samsonite Blvd Franklin Columbia Cookeville Clarksville East Shelby Bartlett Express Jackson Oakland Trenton Savannah What required documents do you need to bring with you to apply for a REAL ID? THSDS said Tennessee residents need proof of U.S. citizenship or legal presence, proof of full social security number and two proofs of Tennessee residence. All documents must be originals or certified, no photocopies will be accepted. Note: THSDS said if your name has changed from what is listed on any of the required documents, you must also bring certified legal documents supporting the name change(s). This could include marriage licenses, divorce decrees, etc. If you have a Tennessee Commercial Driver's License, you will need to present the following documents when applying for the REAL ID: Proof to establish citizenship or legal presence: Official birth certificate issued by a State Office or Vital Statistic or equivalent with a raised seal and/or color seal U.S. Certificate of Consular Report of Birth Abroad (DS-1350, FS-240 or FS-545) Valid, unexpired U.S. Passport or Passport Card Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561) Certificate of Naturalization (N-550, N-570 or N-578) Valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card issued by DHS or INS (I-551) Unexpired foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa and approved I-94 form Unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued by the Department of Homeland Security (I-766 or I-688B) Proof of your FULL Social Security Number: Social Security Card Payroll check stub W-2 form for the current tax year or dated within the last twelve 12 months 1099 form for the current tax year or dated within the last 12 months TWO proofs of residence: Current utility bill including telephone, electric, water, gas, cable, etc. Current Tennessee vehicle registration or certificate of title showing Tennessee address (may use one, not both) Mortgage papers, including property deed or mortgage payment coupon or book Copy of Lease Agreement or contract with notarized signatures OR accompanied by signed realty agency letterhead confirming lease validity Voter registration card (application for voter registration not accepted) Military LES papers listing Tennessee as home of record (this is the ONLY document that won't have the address) Note: All CDL License holders are required to have a valid DOT Medical on file with the Department of Safety and Homeland Security or in their possession at the time of visiting the Driver Services Center. To learn more about the Tennessee REAL ID requirements, visit its website here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
05-03-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Kennedy's push for vitamins in response to measles outbreak worries physicians
Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s rhetoric on Texas's measles outbreak is concerning physicians, who fear his public guidance is misguided and verges on being dangerous as he promotes vitamins and steroids as ways of treating infections. The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) says 159 measles cases have been identified, including one unvaccinated child who died last week shortly after being hospitalized. Only five of the infected individuals are confirmed to have been vaccinated against measles. Physicians in the state have urged that parents isolate their children and ensure that all members of their household have received a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to mitigate the spread. About 80 percent of the measles cases in Texas have been found in children. Kennedy has long questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, particularly the MMR vaccine. In the face of the outbreak, he seemingly softened his stance, writing in an op-ed for Fox News that the vaccines 'not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity,' though he maintained that getting immunized should be a personal choice. At the same time, Kennedy has begun promoting the use of vitamin A, cod liver oil and the steroid budesonide as a way of treating measles, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updating its guidance on measles management to include 'physician-administered outpatient vitamin A.' There are no antivirals specifically indicated for measles. Most cases will resolve on their own rest at home. People who are hospitalized for measles receive supportive care until they recover. HHS did not respond to a request for comment on Kennedy's promotion of vitamin A, cod liver oil and budesonide for treating measles. The case for vitamin A Kennedy's encouragement of vitamin A for children with measles is not entirely unfounded. It has long been observed that a vitamin A deficiency coupled with a measles infection can be devastating for a child. 'We know with some certainty is that in settings where a lot of children have vitamin A deficiency, giving vitamin A to children with measles saves lives, prevents complications,' Andy Pavia, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Utah, told The Hill. But without a vitamin A deficiency, that prescription may not help someone with measles. According to Susan McLellan, professor in the infectious disease division at the University of Texas Medical Branch, there is 'no evidence that vitamin A supplementation improves the outcome of measles in a child who has no vitamin A deficiency in the United States.' 'The relative protective efficacy of vitamin A relative to immunization is minuscule in a non-vitamin A deficient population,' McLellan added. Pavia also expressed concerns that Kennedy is misrepresenting what added vitamins can do for a measles patient. 'What Mr. Kennedy has suggested is that vitamin A is a treatment that will prevent the complications of measles, and we don't think that's very likely in the U.S. to make any difference,' said Pavia. 'He also intimates that it will be a preventive therapy, and there's absolutely no evidence that taking extra vitamin A will prevent you from getting measles, only vaccines will do that or having had a previous infection.' The updated CDC guidance advises that vitamin A should be administered 'immediately on diagnosis and repeated the next day for a total of 2 doses.' In his op-ed, Kennedy pointed to a 2010 analysis that found a 62 percent reduction in measles mortality following two doses of vitamin A. Several of the studies cited in the analysis focused on countries in Africa where vitamin A-deficient populations are more prevalent such as Tanzania, Guinea-Bissau and South Africa. Riskier recommendations In a Fox News interview on Tuesday, Kennedy said, 'They're getting very, very good results, they report from budesonide, which is a steroid. It's a 30-year-old steroid, and clarithromycin and also cod liver oil, which has high concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin D.' Pavia said taking cod liver while infected with measles 'won't hurt,' but pushed back on Kennedy's apparent endorsement of budesonide and clarithromycin for treating measles, saying these drugs carry little benefit while adding unneeded risks. 'Not only is that not based on any science or good rationales, any good reason that it might work, but it's potentially dangerous,' said Pavia. One of the greatest problems with measles is that after you recover, you have suffered damage to your immune system, what we call immune amnesia, because the destruction of some of the memory lymphocytes that help protect you against future infection' Pavia continued. 'So, giving steroids is only further going to reduce your immune ability to fight future infections.' The Hill has reached out to the TDSHS for confirmation on whether budesonide is being deployed to treat measles patients in Texas. When it comes to clarithromycin, Pavia noted one of the potential side effects is 'a fair bit of GI distress' without offering any added benefits for treating the virus. What physicians want the public to know McLellan is one of a minority of physicians today who can say they encountered a debilitating measles outbreak, having been a practicing physician in Los Angeles when the city suffered one of the worst measles outbreaks in its history with more than 16,000 reported cases and 75 deaths. Like other physicians, McLellan emphasizes the critical need for a full two-dose administration of MMR vaccines and pushed back on the notion that one dose is sufficient. 'People keep talking about, 'Oh, your first dose gets you 90 percent protected, and the second dose gets you 98 percent.' That's not the way that it works,' McLellan said. 'When one gets a dose of MMR vaccine, especially in the early childhood age, one in 10 doesn't respond well.' 'That's why a second dose is required to consider somebody fully immunized, because when they get their second dose, the chances that they're fully protected now go up to 97 to 98 percent,' she added. In Pavia's view, the situation in Texas has 'slipped our ability to easily contain it' 'We talk about outbreaks kind of slipping containment as happened with Ebola in West Africa. At a certain point it becomes so large that containment becomes extraordinarily difficult. I think we've hit that point with measles in Texas,' he said. While most coverage has focused on children, Pavia also noted that unvaccinated adults who have never been infected with measles before are also at risk of developing a severe disease, adding that it can cause miscarriage and early labor in expecting mothers. When asked how she feels to witness a measles outbreak of this level decades after it was considered eradicated in the U.S., McLellan said, 'It absolutely breaks my heart.' 'My heart breaks for the child who died and for their family,' she said. 'I also recognize that this is again one of those things where it is sad to see, perhaps a decreased amount of community, feelings of community support where what I do helps you.'
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why the Texas measles outbreak was ‘inevitable'
An outbreak of measles is wreaking havoc in the South Plains region of Texas, where nearly 60 children have been confirmed to be infected. Physicians in the state say the current situation was 'inevitable' due to the low rates of vaccination among the largely Mennonite community. As of Feb. 21, the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 90 cases of measles with 16 patients hospitalized. Five of the cases are vaccinated while the rest are not. The department has stated there are likely more measles cases that have yet to be confirmed due to the highly contagious nature of the virus. The outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading vaccine skeptic, takes over the Department of Health and Human Services, spurring fears he will further fuel vaccine skepticism, an issue already politicized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Plains region is home to an insular community of Mennonites, a conservative Christian sect dating back to 15th century, among whom vaccinations are not as popular as in the general population. The ideal coverage for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations is 95 percent. The vaccination rate in Gaines County, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, is closer to 80 percent. About 91 percent of Texas children born in 2020 have received at least one dose of the MMR vaccination, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS). Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist at the Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas, said the current situation was 'inevitable,' since anything shy of the ideal vaccination rate leaves communities vulnerable. 'Once a community falls below that 95 percent protection rate, it is like dry kindling just waiting for that first spark,' Yancey told The Hill. 'And once you get that one case of measles in a vulnerable community, it spreads like wildfire. Any community with a less than 95 percent immunity rate is an outbreak waiting to happen with measles,' Yancey added. 'These counties that have low immunity rates are going to have measles outbreaks. It is not a matter of if but when.' A TDSHS spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that most of the measles cases have occurred in the Mennonite community of the South Plains region but emphasized lifestyle choices and not religion led to low immunizations in this community. 'Most of the cases are in a close-knit, under vaccinated Mennonite community in Gaines County. The important nuance here is that it is their lifestyle and not the church that is the reason for many people being unvaccinated,' the spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. 'The Mennonite church allows for free choice on vaccination and it is not widely against vaccination,' they added. 'Mennonite families don't seek traditional health care regularly so they are not prompted to vaccinate their children on a schedule and many attend small private schools in their community so they are not required to get vaccinated for school.' According to Texas health officials, part of the current response involves communicating the importance of immunizations to the affected communities. 'The Mennonite community speaks Low German, Spanish and English so we've been working on developing informational messaging in all three languages,' the spokesperson noted. The TDSHS is in contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the agency's field officer assigned to Texas has been deployed to the region to assist with epidemiology. TDSHS data for the 2023-24 school year indicated that in one of the three school districts in Gaines County, where 45 of the 58 cases have been confirmed, nearly half of all students had exemptions for vaccines. The Loop Independent School District reported 47.95 percent of K-12 students had a conscientious exemption for immunizations. The U.S. has held the distinction of being a country where measles is considered eliminated since 2000. But in recent years, measles outbreaks across the country have become increasingly common, threatening that status. 'Where we would hear, you know, an outbreak every year, every two years. Now it's every other month,' said Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious disease at UTHealth Houston. 'The pattern is very similar. It's very tight-knit communities with low vaccination rates where you introduce a case of measles, and it goes like wildfires throughout community and spills into adjacent communities.' In 2024, the CDC reported 16 measles outbreaks. Two outbreaks have been reported this year. Given the apparent uptick in localized measles outbreaks, Ostrosky said the U.S. losing its elimination status is 'a real possibility.' 'It would be so sad and so shameful that a country that has been a leader in public health for so many decades would be losing that edge,' he added. Yancey, who herself has yet to encounter a measles patient in nearly 20 years of practicing medicine, said Texas is well-equipped to handle an outbreak, despite how relatively uncommon measles still is. 'If the pandemic taught us nothing else, it is that we can handle almost anything. Would I like it if we had more public health resources? Of course. But we have the capacity to handle this and, sadly, after the pandemic, the practice,' she said. While there are no therapeutics or antivirals for measles, most people who contract measles make a full recovery. But 1 in 5 children who get the virus will be hospitalized, 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia, and 1 in 1,000 develop encephalitis that could lead to permanent disabilities. Yancey advised concerned parents to isolate if they are in communities with widespread measles transmission and to ensure that members of their household are vaccinated against the virus. Kennedy carries a controversial history regarding measles outbreaks. In 2019, Kennedy traveled to Samoa while the country was dealing with widespread concerns over measles vaccinations after two babies died due to improperly prepared vaccines. The island's government suspended measles vaccinations in response, but when the suspension was lifted, parents were still reluctant to get their children immunized. Critics of Kennedy accused him of fostering anti-vaccine sentiment in Samoa, months before an outbreak ultimately resulted in 83 measles-related deaths and more than 5,600 infections. Kennedy has consistently denied any responsibility for the measles outbreak in Samoa, though correspondence to former Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi showed Kennedy cast doubt on the efficacy and safety of what he referred to as 'a defective Merck vaccine' after a state of emergency had already been declared on the island. Democrats hammered Kennedy about his involvement in Samoa during his confirmation hearings, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) saying, 'There's a measles outbreak, and children start dying, but you double down. You didn't give up.' 'You launched the idea that a measles vaccine caused these deaths,' Warren added. When she asked Kennedy if he accepted any responsibility for the drop in MMR vaccinations in Samoa and if he would do anything differently, he responded, 'Absolutely not.' The HHS did not respond to repeated inquiries by The Hill regarding the measles outbreak in Texas and what the department may do to assist in the response. Updated: 12:51 p.m. on Feb. 21 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why the Texas measles outbreak was ‘inevitable'
An outbreak of measles is wreaking havoc in the South Plains region of Texas where nearly 60 children have been confirmed to be infected so far. Physicians in the state say the current situation was 'inevitable' due to the low rates of vaccination among the largely Mennonite community. As of Feb. 18, the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 58 cases of measles with 13 patients hospitalized. The outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading vaccine skeptic, takes over the Department of Health and Human Services, which has spurred fears he will further fuel vaccine skepticism, an issue already politicized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Plains region is home to an insular community of Mennonites, a conservative Christian sect dating back to 15th century, among whom vaccinations are not as popular as in the general population. The ideal coverage for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations is 95 percent. The vaccination rate in Gaines County, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, is closer to 80 percent. And about 91 percent of Texas children born in 2020 have received at least one dose of the MMR vaccination, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS). Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist at the Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas, said the current situation was 'inevitable' since anything shy of that ideal vaccination rate leaves communities vulnerable. 'Once a community falls below that 95 percent protection rate it is like dry kindling just waiting for that first spark,' Yancey told The Hill. 'And once you get that one case of measles in a vulnerable community, it spreads like wildfire. Any community with a less than 95 percent immunity rate is an outbreak waiting to happen with measles,' Yancey added. 'These counties that have low immunity rates are going to have measles outbreaks. It is not a matter of if but when.' A TDSHS spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that most of the measles cases have occurred in the Mennonite community of the South Plains region but emphasized lifestyle choices and not religion led to low immunizations in this community. 'Most of the cases are in a close-knit, under vaccinated Mennonite community in Gaines County. The important nuance here is that it is their lifestyle and not the church that is the reason for many people being unvaccinated,' the spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. 'The Mennonite church allows for free choice on vaccination and it is not widely against vaccination,' they added. 'Mennonite families don't seek traditional health care regularly so they are not prompted to vaccinate their children on a schedule and many attend small private schools in their community so they are not required to get vaccinated for school.' According to Texas health officials, part of the current response involves communicating the importance of immunizations to the affected communities. 'The Mennonite community speaks Low German, Spanish and English so we've been working on developing informational messaging in all three languages,' the spokesperson noted. The TDSHS is in contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the agency's field officer assigned to Texas has been deployed to the region to assist with epidemiology. TDSHS data for the 2023-2024 school year indicated that in one of the three school districts in Gaines County, where 45 of the 58 cases have been confirmed, nearly half of all students had exemptions for vaccines. The Loop Independent School District reported 47.95 percent of K-12 students had a conscientious exemption for immunizations. The U.S. has held the distinction of being a country where measles is considered eliminated since 2000. But in recent years, measles outbreaks across the country have become increasingly common, threatening that status. 'Where we would hear, you know, an outbreak every year, every two years. Now it's every other month,' said Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious disease at UTHealth Houston. 'The pattern is very similar. It's very tight-knit communities with low vaccination rates where you introduce a case of measles, and it goes like wildfires throughout community and spills into adjacent communities.' In 2024, the CDC reported 16 measles outbreaks. So far, two outbreaks have been reported this year. Given the seeming uptick in localized measles outbreaks, Ostrosky said the U.S. losing its elimination status is 'a real possibility.' 'It would be so sad and so shameful that a country that has been a leader in public health for so many decades would be losing that edge,' he added. Yancey, who herself has yet to encounter a measles patient in nearly 20 years of practicing medicine, said Texas is well-equipped to handle an outbreak despite how relatively uncommon measles still is. 'If the pandemic taught us nothing else, it is that we can handle almost anything. Would I like it if we had more public health resources? Of course. But we have the capacity to handle this and sadly, after the pandemic, the practice,' she said. While there are no therapeutics or antivirals for measles, most people who contract measles make a full recovery. But 1 in 5 children who get the virus will be hospitalized, 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia, and 1 in 1,000 develop encephalitis that could lead to permanent disabilities. Yancey advised concerned parents to isolate if they are in communities with widespread measles transmission and to ensure that members of their household are vaccinated against the virus. Kennedy carries a controversial history regarding measles outbreaks. In 2019, Kennedy traveled to Samoa while the country was dealing with widespread concerns over measles vaccinations after two babies died due to improperly prepared vaccines. The island's government suspended measles vaccinations in response, but when the suspension was lifted, parents were still reluctant to get their children immunized. Critics of Kennedy accused him of fostering anti-vaccine sentiment in Samoa, months before an outbreak ultimately resulted in 83 measles-related deaths and more than 5,600 infections. Kennedy has consistently denied any responsibility for the measles outbreak in Samoa, though correspondence to former Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi showed that Kennedy cast doubt on the efficacy and safety of what he referred to as 'a defective Merck vaccine' after a state of emergency had already been declared on the island. Democrats hammered Kennedy about his involvement in Samoa during his confirmation hearings, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) saying, 'There's a measles outbreak, and children start dying, but you double down. You didn't give up.' 'You launched the idea that a measles vaccine caused these deaths,' Warren added. When she asked Kennedy if he accepted any responsibility for the drop in MMR vaccinations in Samoa and if he would do anything differently, he responded, 'Absolutely not.' The HHS did not respond to repeated inquiries by The Hill regarding the measles outbreak in Texas and what the department may do to assist in the response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
21-02-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Why the Texas measles outbreak was ‘inevitable'
An outbreak of measles is wreaking havoc in the South Plains region of Texas where nearly 60 children have been confirmed to be infected so far. Physicians in the state say the current situation was 'inevitable' due to the low rates of vaccination among the largely Mennonite community. As of Feb. 18, the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 58 cases of measles with 13 patients hospitalized. The outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading vaccine skeptic, takes over the Department of Health and Human Services, which has spurred fears he will further fuel vaccine skepticism, an issue already politicized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The South Plains region is home to an insular community of Mennonites, a conservative Christian sect dating back to 15th century, among whom vaccinations are not as popular as in the general population. The ideal coverage for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations is 95 percent. The vaccination rate in Gaines County, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, is closer to 80 percent. And about 91 percent of Texas children born in 2020 have received at least one dose of the MMR vaccination, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS). Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist at the Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas, said the current situation was 'inevitable' since anything shy of that ideal vaccination rate leaves communities vulnerable. 'Once a community falls below that 95 percent protection rate it is like dry kindling just waiting for that first spark,' Yancey told The Hill. 'And once you get that one case of measles in a vulnerable community, it spreads like wildfire. Any community with a less than 95 percent immunity rate is an outbreak waiting to happen with measles,' Yancey added. 'These counties that have low immunity rates are going to have measles outbreaks. It is not a matter of if but when.' Undervaccinated community A TDSHS spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that most of the measles cases have occurred in the Mennonite community of the South Plains region but emphasized lifestyle choices and not religion led to low immunizations in this community. 'Most of the cases are in a close-knit, under vaccinated Mennonite community in Gaines County. The important nuance here is that it is their lifestyle and not the church that is the reason for many people being unvaccinated,' the spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. 'The Mennonite church allows for free choice on vaccination and it is not widely against vaccination,' they added. 'Mennonite families don't seek traditional health care regularly so they are not prompted to vaccinate their children on a schedule and many attend small private schools in their community so they are not required to get vaccinated for school.' According to Texas health officials, part of the current response involves communicating the importance of immunizations to the affected communities. 'The Mennonite community speaks Low German, Spanish and English so we've been working on developing informational messaging in all three languages,' the spokesperson noted. The TDSHS is in contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the agency's field officer assigned to Texas has been deployed to the region to assist with epidemiology. TDSHS data for the 2023-2024 school year indicated that in one of the three school districts in Gaines County, where 45 of the 58 cases have been confirmed, nearly half of all students had exemptions for vaccines. The Loop Independent School District reported 47.95 percent of K-12 students had a conscientious exemption for immunizations. More frequent measles outbreaks The U.S. has held the distinction of being a country where measles is considered eliminated since 2000. But in recent years, measles outbreaks across the country have become increasingly common, threatening that status. 'Where we would hear, you know, an outbreak every year, every two years. Now it's every other month,' said Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious disease at UTHealth Houston. 'The pattern is very similar. It's very tight-knit communities with low vaccination rates where you introduce a case of measles, and it goes like wildfires throughout community and spills into adjacent communities.' In 2024, the CDC reported 16 measles outbreaks. So far, two outbreaks have been reported this year. Given the seeming uptick in localized measles outbreaks, Ostrosky said the U.S. losing its elimination status is 'a real possibility.' 'It would be so sad and so shameful that a country that has been a leader in public health for so many decades would be losing that edge,' he added. Yancey, who herself has yet to encounter a measles patient in nearly 20 years of practicing medicine, said Texas is well-equipped to handle an outbreak despite how relatively uncommon measles still is. 'If the pandemic taught us nothing else, it is that we can handle almost anything. Would I like it if we had more public health resources? Of course. But we have the capacity to handle this and sadly, after the pandemic, the practice,' she said. While there are no therapeutics or antivirals for measles, most people who contract measles make a full recovery. But 1 in 5 children who get the virus will be hospitalized, 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia, and 1 in 1,000 develop encephalitis that could lead to permanent disabilities. Yancey advised concerned parents to isolate if they are in communities with widespread measles transmission and to ensure that members of their household are vaccinated against the virus. Kennedy's past with measles vaccine Kennedy carries a controversial history regarding measles outbreaks. In 2019, Kennedy traveled to Samoa while the country was dealing with widespread concerns over measles vaccinations after two babies died due to improperly prepared vaccines. The island's government suspended measles vaccinations in response, but when the suspension was lifted, parents were still reluctant to get their children immunized. Critics of Kennedy accused him of fostering anti-vaccine sentiment in Samoa, months before an outbreak ultimately resulted in 83 measles-related deaths and more than 5,600 infections. Kennedy has consistently denied any responsibility for the measles outbreak in Samoa, though correspondence to former Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi showed that Kennedy cast doubt on the efficacy and safety of what he referred to as 'a defective Merck vaccine' after a state of emergency had already been declared on the island. Democrats hammered Kennedy about his involvement in Samoa during his confirmation hearings, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) saying, 'There's a measles outbreak, and children start dying, but you double down. You didn't give up.' 'You launched the idea that a measles vaccine caused these deaths,' Warren added. When she asked Kennedy if he accepted any responsibility for the drop in MMR vaccinations in Samoa and if he would do anything differently, he responded, 'Absolutely not.' The HHS did not respond to repeated inquiries by The Hill regarding the measles outbreak in Texas and what the department may do to assist in the response.
