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Global News
27-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Measles has exploded in Texas, but state could let more kids skip vaccines
Texas this year has been the center of the nation's largest measles outbreak in more than two decades, as a mostly eradicated disease has sickened more than 700 in the state, sent dozens to hospitals and led to the death of two children who were unvaccinated. But even as the outbreak slows, a bill approved by state lawmakers and sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would make it significantly easier for parents to enroll their children in school without standard vaccinations for diseases such as measles, whooping cough, polio and hepatitis A and B. Supporters say the bill streamlines an already legal exemption process that allows families to avoid vaccines for reasons of conscience, religious beliefs or medical reasons. It would let them download the required forms from a website instead of contacting state health officials and waiting for one to come in the mail. Story continues below advertisement The bill does not change which vaccines are required. However, critics say easing the exemption process opens a door to further outbreaks with potentially deadly results. 'If this bill becomes law, Texas is likely to see more illness, more death and higher health care costs for families and business,' Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer for Texas-based nonprofit Immunization Project, told state senators before the bill won final approval. 'The outbreak (in Texas) is not a coincidence. It is the canary in the coal mine screaming at the top of its lungs,' she said. The exemption bill — as well as other bills passed by the Texas House on lawsuits against vaccine makers and removing immunization restrictions on organ transplants — are a snapshot of efforts across dozens of conservative states to question vaccines or roll back requirements. 1:46 Measles cases continue to rise in Manitoba as outbreaks spread At the national level, this wave has been buoyed by still-lingering pushback from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump administration's embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine advocates before being appointed secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Story continues below advertisement The most recent federal data shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have dipped since the pandemic — 92.7 per cent in the 2023-24 school year compared to 95 per cent before COVID-19 — and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high. And last week, the 'Make America Healthy Again' federal report on the nation's health and wellness questioned the necessity of vaccine mandates for schoolkids. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The national Association of Immunization Managers, an organization of state and local immunization officials, has been tracking nearly 600 vaccine-related bills across the country in 2025, and the majority would not be considered pro-vaccine, said Brent Ewig, the group's the group's chief policy officer. 'We saw a spike in vaccine-related bills during the pandemic. The last few years it had been tapering off. With recent actions at the federal level, there has been a spike again,' Ewig said. The Texas measles outbreak and vaccine requirements Measles has been considered eliminated from the United States since 2000. The Texas outbreak started in late January in West Texas' Mennonite communities that have been resistant to vaccines and distrustful of government intervention, and the highly contagious virus quickly jumped to other places with low vaccination rates. Like many states, Texas requires children to obtain vaccines to protect against 11 diseases to attend public and private schools and child care centers. The state's vaccination rates for the 2023-24 school year ranged between 93.78 per cent for chicken pox to 95.78 per cent for hepatitis B. Story continues below advertisement But parents can obtain exemptions for religious or personal reasons, or if a doctor determines it would not be safe because of a medical condition. Exemption rates in Texas have been rising for nearly two decades, with a dramatic spike over the last five years. According to the Texas Department of Health Services, the agency received exemption requests for nearly 153,000 students in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, up from 136,000 the previous year and nearly double the 77,000 requested in 2019. Texas' vaccine rollback The bill on vaccine exemption paperwork would make it easier for parents to obtain the needed form by letting them download it to a computer or smartphone. The current system where parents ask state health officials to mail a paper copy to their home can sometimes take weeks. The form would still need to be notarized before it is turned in to a school and a student is enrolled. Story continues below advertisement Advocates say the changes would help parents thread the bureaucratic process and get their children enrolled in school quicker. 'This bill is not about whether vaccines are good or bad, it's about government efficiency and keeping kids in schools,' said Jackie Schlegal, founder of Texans for Medical Freedom, which advocates for 'vaccine freedom of choice.' Critics argue that simplifying the exemption form process makes it too easy for unvaccinated kids to enroll in a school, endangering the health of other kids and families. 2:27 Health Matters: Ontario adds 173 new measles cases to growing outbreak 'For years Texas has struck a delicate balance of parents' right and public health and safety,' Lakshmanan said. 'This bill is more than just a form … We can support parents without putting other families at risk.' Still waiting for a Senate vote is a bill that would allow vaccine makers who advertise in Texas to be sued if their vaccine causes a person to be injured. That bill has been opposed by the Texas Association of Manufacturers. Story continues below advertisement The author of that bill is first-term state Rep. Shelley Luther, who was briefly jailed in 2020 for opening her Dallas salon in violation of governor's emergency order during the pandemic. Abbott quickly weakened his enforcement of coronavirus safeguards and a court ordered her released.
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Amid measles outbreak, Texas is poised to make vaccine exemptions for kids easier
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas this year has been the center of the nation's largest measles outbreak in more than two decades, as a mostly eradicated disease has sickened more than 700 in the state, sent dozens to hospitals and led to the death of two children who were unvaccinated. But even as the outbreak slows, a bill approved by state lawmakers and sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would make it significantly easier for parents to enroll their children in school without standard vaccinations for diseases such as measles, whooping cough, polio and hepatitis A and B. Supporters say the bill streamlines an already legal exemption process that allows families to avoid vaccines for reasons of conscience, religious beliefs or medical reasons. It would let them download the required forms from a website instead of contacting state health officials and waiting for one to come in the mail. The bill does not change which vaccines are required. However, critics say easing the exemption process opens a door to further outbreaks with potentially deadly results. 'If this bill becomes law, Texas is likely to see more illness, more death and higher health care costs for families and business,' Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer for Texas-based nonprofit Immunization Project, told state senators before the bill won final approval. 'The outbreak (in Texas) is not a coincidence. It is the canary in the coal mine screaming at the top of its lungs,' she said. The exemption bill — as well as other bills passed by the Texas House on lawsuits against vaccine makers and removing immunization restrictions on organ transplants — are a snapshot of efforts across dozens of conservative states to question vaccines or roll back requirements. At the national level, this wave has been buoyed by still-lingering pushback from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump administration's embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine advocates before being appointed secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. The most recent federal data shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have dipped since the pandemic — 92.7% in the 2023-24 school year compared to 95% before COVID-19 — and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high. And last week, the 'Make America Healthy Again' federal report on the nation's health and wellness questioned the necessity of vaccine mandates for schoolkids. The national Association of Immunization Managers, an organization of state and local immunization officials, has been tracking nearly 600 vaccine-related bills across the country in 2025, and the majority would not be considered pro-vaccine, said Brent Ewig, the group's the group's chief policy officer. 'We saw a spike in vaccine-related bills during the pandemic. The last few years it had been tapering off. With recent actions at the federal level, there has been a spike again,' Ewig said. Measles has been considered eliminated from the United States since 2000. The Texas outbreak started in late January in West Texas' Mennonite communities that have been resistant to vaccines and distrustful of government intervention, and the highly contagious virus quickly jumped to other places with low vaccination rates. Like many states, Texas requires children to obtain vaccines to protect against 11 diseases to attend public and private schools and child care centers. The state's vaccination rates for the 2023-24 school year ranged between 93.78% for chicken pox to 95.78% for hepatitis B. But parents can obtain exemptions for religious or personal reasons, or if a doctor determines it would not be safe because of a medical condition. Exemption rates in Texas have been rising for nearly two decades, with a dramatic spike over the last five years. According to the Texas Department of Health Services, the agency received exemption requests for nearly 153,000 students in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, up from 136,000 the previous year and nearly double the 77,000 requested in 2019. The bill on vaccine exemption paperwork would make it easier for parents to obtain the needed form by letting them download it to a computer or smartphone. The current system where parents ask state health officials to mail a paper copy to their home can sometimes take weeks. The form would still need to be notarized before it is turned in to a school and a student is enrolled. Advocates say the changes would help parents thread the bureaucratic process and get their children enrolled in school quicker. 'This bill is not about whether vaccines are good or bad, it's about government efficiency and keeping kids in schools,' said Jackie Schlegal, founder of Texans for Medical Freedom, which advocates for 'vaccine freedom of choice.' Critics argue that simplifying the exemption form process makes it too easy for unvaccinated kids to enroll in a school, endangering the health of other kids and families. 'For years Texas has struck a delicate balance of parents' right and public health and safety,' Lakshmanan said. 'This bill is more than just a form ... We can support parents without putting other families at risk.' Still waiting for a Senate vote is a bill that would allow vaccine makers who advertise in Texas to be sued if their vaccine causes a person to be injured. That bill has been opposed by the Texas Association of Manufacturers. The author of that bill is first-term state Rep. Shelley Luther, who was briefly jailed in 2020 for opening her Dallas salon in violation of governor's emergency order during the pandemic. Abbott quickly weakened his enforcement of coronavirus safeguards and a court ordered her released. Vertuno writes for the Associated Press.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
US Health secretary Kennedy revives misleading claims of 'fetal debris' in measles shots
Washington: U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reprised various misleading claims about vaccines this week, including that the measles vaccine contains cells from aborted fetuses and the mumps vaccination does not work. Kennedy's comments come as the U.S. battles one of its worst outbreaks of measles in 25 years. Scientists have warned that the U.S. is at a tipping point for the return of endemic measles, declared eradicated nationally in 2000, and say U.S. public health officials like Kennedy should provide urgent endorsement for highly effective vaccines. Two children have died and hundreds more have been infected in the outbreak in Texas, which is centered in a Mennonite community and has spread to neighboring states, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Kennedy says he is not opposed to vaccines, but has begun to revive some of the unproven or debunked theories he promoted as a lawyer and public figure, now from his perch at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. "There are populations in our country, like the Mennonites in Texas, (who) were most afflicted, and they have religious objections to the vaccination, because the MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles, so they don't want to take it," he said in a News Nation interview on Wednesday. Kennedy was referring to the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. The vaccines do not contain "fetal debris" from abortions or intact fetal cells, vaccine experts said. The rubella portion of the vaccine is produced from a fetal cell line originating from an abortion that took place in the 1960s. The MMR vaccine does not contain the cells in its final form. The cells are derived from fetal cells that have been replicated over decades in test tubes in laboratory settings, thousands of times removed from the original ones. "The virus is grown in these cells, then this virus is purified, meaning everything other than the virus is filtered out, and all that's left is this attenuated virus that can't make you sick," said Dr. Miriam Laufer, Interim Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland. According to a fact sheet on how vaccines are made from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, the amount of DNA involved in final vaccine preparation is minimal; billionths or trillionths of a gram. "While the final vaccines do not contain intact fetal cells, they may contain trace amounts of cell-derived materials, such as fragments of DNA," said Dr. Paulo Verardi, Professor of Virology and Vaccinology and the University of Connecticut. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment. Kennedy also said this week that the mumps portion of the vaccine does not work and that there were safety concerns over it. "The problem is really with the mumps portion of the vaccine and the combination. That combination was never safety tested," he said on Monday at a live televised town hall event hosted by TV host Dr. Phil. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide around 86% protection against mumps, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it is true that vaccine protection can wane over time, the rate varies depending on the disease and vaccine, Verardi and other vaccine experts said. "For mumps in particular, immunity can decline, so adults vaccinated in childhood may become susceptible again. Still, vaccinated individuals generally experience a milder illness if infected, which is still a key benefit of vaccination," he said.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US Health secretary Kennedy revives misleading claims of 'fetal debris' in measles shots
By Ahmed Aboulenein and Nancy Lapid WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reprised various misleading claims about vaccines this week, including that the measles vaccine contains cells from aborted fetuses and the mumps vaccination does not work. Kennedy's comments come as the U.S. battles one of its worst outbreaks of measles in 25 years. Scientists have warned that the U.S. is at a tipping point for the return of endemic measles, declared eradicated nationally in 2000, and say U.S. public health officials like Kennedy should provide urgent endorsement for highly effective vaccines. Two children have died and hundreds more have been infected in the outbreak in Texas, which is centered in a Mennonite community and has spread to neighboring states, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Kennedy, who became the nation's top health official in February, has for decades helped sow doubts regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, contributing to a decline in vaccination rates. Kennedy says he is not opposed to vaccines, but has begun to revive some of the unproven or debunked theories he promoted as a lawyer and public figure, now from his perch at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. "There are populations in our country, like the Mennonites in Texas, (who) were most afflicted, and they have religious objections to the vaccination, because the MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles, so they don't want to take it," he said in a News Nation interview on Wednesday. Kennedy was referring to the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. The vaccines do not contain "fetal debris" from abortions or intact fetal cells, vaccine experts said. The rubella portion of the vaccine is produced from a fetal cell line originating from an abortion that took place in the 1960s. The MMR vaccine does not contain the cells in its final form. The cells are derived from fetal cells that have been replicated over decades in test tubes in laboratory settings, thousands of times removed from the original ones. "The virus is grown in these cells, then this virus is purified, meaning everything other than the virus is filtered out, and all that's left is this attenuated virus that can't make you sick," said Dr. Miriam Laufer, Interim Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland. According to a fact sheet on how vaccines are made from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, the amount of DNA involved in final vaccine preparation is minimal; billionths or trillionths of a gram. "While the final vaccines do not contain intact fetal cells, they may contain trace amounts of cell-derived materials, such as fragments of DNA," said Dr. Paulo Verardi, Professor of Virology and Vaccinology and the University of Connecticut. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment. Kennedy also said this week that the mumps portion of the vaccine does not work and that there were safety concerns over it. "The problem is really with the mumps portion of the vaccine and the combination. That combination was never safety tested," he said on Monday at a live televised town hall event hosted by TV host Dr. Phil. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide around 86% protection against mumps, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it is true that vaccine protection can wane over time, the rate varies depending on the disease and vaccine, Verardi and other vaccine experts said. "For mumps in particular, immunity can decline, so adults vaccinated in childhood may become susceptible again. Still, vaccinated individuals generally experience a milder illness if infected, which is still a key benefit of vaccination," he said.
Reuters
01-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
US Health secretary Kennedy revives misleading claims of 'fetal debris' in measles shots
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reprised various misleading claims about vaccines this week, including that the measles vaccine contains cells from aborted fetuses and the mumps vaccination does not work. Kennedy's comments come as the U.S. battles one of its worst outbreaks of measles in 25 years. Scientists have warned that the U.S. is at a tipping point for the return of endemic measles, declared eradicated nationally in 2000, and say U.S. public health officials like Kennedy should provide urgent endorsement for highly effective vaccines. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Two children have died and hundreds more have been infected in the outbreak in Texas, which is centered in a Mennonite community and has spread to neighboring states, including New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Kennedy, who became the nation's top health official in February, has for decades helped sow doubts regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, contributing to a decline in vaccination rates. Kennedy says he is not opposed to vaccines, but has begun to revive some of the unproven or debunked theories he promoted as a lawyer and public figure, now from his perch at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. "There are populations in our country, like the Mennonites in Texas, (who) were most afflicted, and they have religious objections to the vaccination, because the MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris and DNA particles, so they don't want to take it," he said in a News Nation interview on Wednesday. Kennedy was referring to the combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine. The vaccines do not contain "fetal debris" from abortions or intact fetal cells, vaccine experts said. The rubella portion of the vaccine is produced from a fetal cell line originating from an abortion that took place in the 1960s. The MMR vaccine does not contain the cells in its final form. The cells are derived from fetal cells that have been replicated over decades in test tubes in laboratory settings, thousands of times removed from the original ones. "The virus is grown in these cells, then this virus is purified, meaning everything other than the virus is filtered out, and all that's left is this attenuated virus that can't make you sick," said Dr. Miriam Laufer, Interim Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland. According to a fact sheet on how vaccines are made from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, the amount of DNA involved in final vaccine preparation is minimal; billionths or trillionths of a gram. "While the final vaccines do not contain intact fetal cells, they may contain trace amounts of cell-derived materials, such as fragments of DNA," said Dr. Paulo Verardi, Professor of Virology and Vaccinology and the University of Connecticut. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment. Kennedy also said this week that the mumps portion of the vaccine does not work and that there were safety concerns over it. "The problem is really with the mumps portion of the vaccine and the combination. That combination was never safety tested," he said on Monday at a live televised town hall event hosted by TV host Dr. Phil. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide around 86% protection against mumps, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it is true that vaccine protection can wane over time, the rate varies depending on the disease and vaccine, Verardi and other vaccine experts said. "For mumps in particular, immunity can decline, so adults vaccinated in childhood may become susceptible again. Still, vaccinated individuals generally experience a milder illness if infected, which is still a key benefit of vaccination," he said. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Ahmed Aboulenein Thomson Reuters Washington-based correspondent covering U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical policy with a focus on the Department of Health and Human Services and the agencies it oversees such as the Food and Drug Administration, previously based in Iraq and Egypt. Nancy Lapid Thomson Reuters Nancy has been a health news reporter and editor at Reuters for more than a decade, covering important medical research advances. She is the author of our twice-a-week Reuters Health Rounds newsletter.
