Latest news with #WastewaterSCAN
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Wastewater is now helping track measles spread around the US
As measles cases rise to precipitously high levels in the US this year, there's a new tool to help track the spread: wastewater. Wastewater surveillance rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, as testing sewage for virus particles helped provide early warning signs of increased transmission and fill the gaps as case reporting scaled back. Now, WastewaterSCAN has developed the first national wastewater monitoring program to detect measles in places where people are infected with the virus. It has the potential to identify possible cases days before an individual shows symptoms or seeks care. The new tool is available for use in nearly 150 wastewater treatment facilities across 40 states. At least 1,157 measles cases have been reported in the US this year, according to a CNN tally using data from state health departments. A large multistate outbreak centered in West Texas accounts for the vast majority. Texas has reported 742 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 81 cases, and Oklahoma reported 18 cases – 15 confirmed and three probable – as of Tuesday. Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may also be linked to the outbreak, have reached 71 as of Monday. Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported. However, the nation is now fewer than 120 cases away from the total reported for all of 2019, the year with the highest number of measles cases – 1,274 - since the disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. South Dakota reported its first measles case of the year Monday, bringing the total number of states that have reported at least one case in 2025 up to 33. The new case in South Dakota is in an adult who travelled internationally, according to a news release from the state health department. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its measles guidance for travelers. 'Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events,' a CDC advisory says. 'Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune. CDC recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to any international destination.' Other recent examples include a case in Minnesota that was reported in an adult who was exposed during domestic air travel, and the New Jersey health department has warned of potential measles exposure in the Newark airport. There have been at least 14 outbreaks in the US this year, according to the CDC, accounting for 90% of cases. The CDC's data is limited to confirmed cases and lags behind CNN's tally for this year. The vast majority of cases in the US this year have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 5% of confirmed cases have been in people who had received one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the CDC. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles. The CDC recommends two doses as the best protection against the disease, with the first dose given at 12 to 15 months of age and the second between ages 4 and 6. Childhood vaccination rates have been declining across the US for years, with MMR vaccination coverage among kindergartners falling below the recommended 95% threshold for at least four years. New research from Johns Hopkins University, published Monday in the journal JAMA, emphasizes how widespread the decline has been. MMR vaccination rates among children have dropped in more than three-quarters of US counties, with an average drop of 2.7% between 2017 and 2024, according to the study. Vaccination rates have surged in some places that are experiencing measles outbreaks, however. In New Mexico, nearly twice as many MMR vaccines have been administered this year than there were at this point last year, according to data from the state health department. And a recent analysis of health records by Truveta, a health-care data and analytics company, shows that early vaccination rates jumped among infants in Texas. MMR vaccination rates among 6-month-olds in Texas this year are more than eight times higher than they were in 2019, and in March and April, about 1 in 5 children who received their first measles shot in Texas had gotten it early, before their first birthday. At least 133 people with measles have been hospitalized this year, according to the CDC, and there have been three deaths: two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, all of whom were unvaccinated.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Wastewater is now helping track measles spread around the US
Vaccines Children's health Pollution Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow As measles cases rise to precipitously high levels in the US this year, there's a new tool to help track the spread: wastewater. Wastewater surveillance rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, as testing sewage for virus particles helped provide early warning signs of increased transmission and fill the gaps as case reporting scaled back. Now, WastewaterSCAN has developed the first national wastewater monitoring program to detect measles in places where people are infected with the virus. It has the potential to identify possible cases days before an individual shows symptoms or seeks care. The new tool is available for use in nearly 150 wastewater treatment facilities across 40 states. At least 1,157 measles cases have been reported in the US this year, according to a CNN tally using data from state health departments. A large multistate outbreak centered in West Texas accounts for the vast majority. Texas has reported 742 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 81 cases, and Oklahoma reported 18 cases – 15 confirmed and three probable – as of Tuesday. Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may also be linked to the outbreak, have reached 71 as of Monday. Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported. However, the nation is now fewer than 120 cases away from the total reported for all of 2019, the year with the highest number of measles cases – 1,274 - since the disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. South Dakota reported its first measles case of the year Monday, bringing the total number of states that have reported at least one case in 2025 up to 33. The new case in South Dakota is in an adult who travelled internationally, according to a news release from the state health department. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its measles guidance for travelers. 'Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events,' a CDC advisory says. 'Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune. CDC recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to any international destination.' Other recent examples include a case in Minnesota that was reported in an adult who was exposed during domestic air travel, and the New Jersey health department has warned of potential measles exposure in the Newark airport. There have been at least 14 outbreaks in the US this year, according to the CDC, accounting for 90% of cases. The CDC's data is limited to confirmed cases and lags behind CNN's tally for this year. The vast majority of cases in the US this year have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 5% of confirmed cases have been in people who had received one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the CDC. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles. The CDC recommends two doses as the best protection against the disease, with the first dose given at 12 to 15 months of age and the second between ages 4 and 6. Childhood vaccination rates have been declining across the US for years, with MMR vaccination coverage among kindergartners falling below the recommended 95% threshold for at least four years. New research from Johns Hopkins University, published Monday in the journal JAMA, emphasizes how widespread the decline has been. MMR vaccination rates among children have dropped in more than three-quarters of US counties, with an average drop of 2.7% between 2017 and 2024, according to the study. Vaccination rates have surged in some places that are experiencing measles outbreaks, however. In New Mexico, nearly twice as many MMR vaccines have been administered this year than there were at this point last year, according to data from the state health department. And a recent analysis of health records by Truveta, a health-care data and analytics company, shows that early vaccination rates jumped among infants in Texas. MMR vaccination rates among 6-month-olds in Texas this year are more than eight times higher than they were in 2019, and in March and April, about 1 in 5 children who received their first measles shot in Texas had gotten it early, before their first birthday. At least 133 people with measles have been hospitalized this year, according to the CDC, and there have been three deaths: two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, all of whom were unvaccinated.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Wastewater is now helping track measles spread around the US
As measles cases rise to precipitously high levels in the US this year, there's a new tool to help track the spread: wastewater. Wastewater surveillance rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, as testing sewage for virus particles helped provide early warning signs of increased transmission and fill the gaps as case reporting scaled back. Now, WastewaterSCAN has developed the first national wastewater monitoring program to detect measles in places where people are infected with the virus. It has the potential to identify possible cases days before an individual shows symptoms or seeks care. The new tool is available for use in nearly 150 wastewater treatment facilities across 40 states. At least 1,157 measles cases have been reported in the US this year, according to a CNN tally using data from state health departments. A large multistate outbreak centered in West Texas accounts for the vast majority. Texas has reported 742 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 81 cases, and Oklahoma reported 18 cases – 15 confirmed and three probable – as of Tuesday. Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may also be linked to the outbreak, have reached 71 as of Monday. Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported. However, the nation is now fewer than 120 cases away from the total reported for all of 2019, the year with the highest number of measles cases – 1,274 - since the disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. South Dakota reported its first measles case of the year Monday, bringing the total number of states that have reported at least one case in 2025 up to 33. The new case in South Dakota is in an adult who travelled internationally, according to a news release from the state health department. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its measles guidance for travelers. 'Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events,' a CDC advisory says. 'Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune. CDC recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to any international destination.' Other recent examples include a case in Minnesota that was reported in an adult who was exposed during domestic air travel, and the New Jersey health department has warned of potential measles exposure in the Newark airport. There have been at least 14 outbreaks in the US this year, according to the CDC, accounting for 90% of cases. The CDC's data is limited to confirmed cases and lags behind CNN's tally for this year. The vast majority of cases in the US this year have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 5% of confirmed cases have been in people who had received one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the CDC. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles. The CDC recommends two doses as the best protection against the disease, with the first dose given at 12 to 15 months of age and the second between ages 4 and 6. Childhood vaccination rates have been declining across the US for years, with MMR vaccination coverage among kindergartners falling below the recommended 95% threshold for at least four years. New research from Johns Hopkins University, published Monday in the journal JAMA, emphasizes how widespread the decline has been. MMR vaccination rates among children have dropped in more than three-quarters of US counties, with an average drop of 2.7% between 2017 and 2024, according to the study. Vaccination rates have surged in some places that are experiencing measles outbreaks, however. In New Mexico, nearly twice as many MMR vaccines have been administered this year than there were at this point last year, according to data from the state health department. And a recent analysis of health records by Truveta, a health-care data and analytics company, shows that early vaccination rates jumped among infants in Texas. MMR vaccination rates among 6-month-olds in Texas this year are more than eight times higher than they were in 2019, and in March and April, about 1 in 5 children who received their first measles shot in Texas had gotten it early, before their first birthday. At least 133 people with measles have been hospitalized this year, according to the CDC, and there have been three deaths: two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, all of whom were unvaccinated.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Wastewater is now helping track measles spread around the US
As measles cases rise to precipitously high levels in the US this year, there's a new tool to help track the spread: wastewater. Wastewater surveillance rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, as testing sewage for virus particles helped provide early warning signs of increased transmission and fill the gaps as case reporting scaled back. Now, WastewaterSCAN has developed the first national wastewater monitoring program to detect measles in places where people are infected with the virus. It has the potential to identify possible cases days before an individual shows symptoms or seeks care. The new tool is available for use in nearly 150 wastewater treatment facilities across 40 states. At least 1,157 measles cases have been reported in the US this year, according to a CNN tally using data from state health departments. A large multistate outbreak centered in West Texas accounts for the vast majority. Texas has reported 742 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 81 cases, and Oklahoma reported 18 cases – 15 confirmed and three probable – as of Tuesday. Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may also be linked to the outbreak, have reached 71 as of Monday. Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported. However, the nation is now fewer than 120 cases away from the total reported for all of 2019, the year with the highest number of measles cases – 1,274 - since the disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. South Dakota reported its first measles case of the year Monday, bringing the total number of states that have reported at least one case in 2025 up to 33. The new case in South Dakota is in an adult who travelled internationally, according to a news release from the state health department. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its measles guidance for travelers. 'Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events,' a CDC advisory says. 'Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune. CDC recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to any international destination.' Other recent examples include a case in Minnesota that was reported in an adult who was exposed during domestic air travel, and the New Jersey health department has warned of potential measles exposure in the Newark airport. There have been at least 14 outbreaks in the US this year, according to the CDC, accounting for 90% of cases. The CDC's data is limited to confirmed cases and lags behind CNN's tally for this year. The vast majority of cases in the US this year have been in people who are unvaccinated; only about 5% of confirmed cases have been in people who had received one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the CDC. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles. The CDC recommends two doses as the best protection against the disease, with the first dose given at 12 to 15 months of age and the second between ages 4 and 6. Childhood vaccination rates have been declining across the US for years, with MMR vaccination coverage among kindergartners falling below the recommended 95% threshold for at least four years. New research from Johns Hopkins University, published Monday in the journal JAMA, emphasizes how widespread the decline has been. MMR vaccination rates among children have dropped in more than three-quarters of US counties, with an average drop of 2.7% between 2017 and 2024, according to the study. Vaccination rates have surged in some places that are experiencing measles outbreaks, however. In New Mexico, nearly twice as many MMR vaccines have been administered this year than there were at this point last year, according to data from the state health department. And a recent analysis of health records by Truveta, a health-care data and analytics company, shows that early vaccination rates jumped among infants in Texas. MMR vaccination rates among 6-month-olds in Texas this year are more than eight times higher than they were in 2019, and in March and April, about 1 in 5 children who received their first measles shot in Texas had gotten it early, before their first birthday. At least 133 people with measles have been hospitalized this year, according to the CDC, and there have been three deaths: two children in Texas and one adult in New Mexico, all of whom were unvaccinated.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Measles Is Now Showing Up in Wastewater
Credit - Getty Images Measles cases in the U.S. have been rare in recent decades, thanks to a strong childhood vaccination program. But a few cases inevitably pop up each year as travelers bring the virus in from other countries and infect unvaccinated people, primarily children. Those cases are no longer blips. Now that the measles vaccination rate is dropping precipitously across the U.S.—due in part to anti-vaccine sentiments—cases are rising. So far in 2025, 14 outbreaks have been reported in 33 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (By comparison, in 2024, there were just 16 outbreaks reported during the entire year.) Scientists may now have a new way to catch cases. For the first time, researchers have posted national information on where the measles virus is showing up in wastewater. Wastewater surveillance is a useful public-health tool because it provides an objective glimpse into where a given virus is causing infections—often before traditional testing methods. For viruses like measles, which infected people shed in urine, feces, or saliva, it can provide a critical heads-up for health officials. 'It gives us a finger-to-the-wind weather map of what is happening with infectious diseases,' says Dr. Marlene Wolf, assistant professor at Emory and principal investigator and co-program director of WastewaterSCAN, an academic and commercial group that includes researchers from Stanford University, Emory University, and Verily (which is Alphabet Inc.'s research organization). Here's what wastewater is revealing about measles in the U.S. WastewaterSCAN began testing sewage in the U.S. for the COVID-19 virus in 2020 and has since added other disease-causing microbes including influenza, RSV, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), norovirus, enterovirus, mpox, Candida auris, and hepatitis A. This spring, the scientists began developing a test for picking up signs of the active or "wild type" measles virus that is causing outbreaks in the U.S. The test uses samples from nearly 150 sewage sites across the country and can pick up signs of measles within 48 hours. Read More: What to Know About the New COVID-19 Variant NB.1.8.1 So far, they have detected it in three sites: one day in Hollywood, Md.; four days toward the end of May in Sacramento; and twice in mid-May in Stamford, Conn. WastewaterSCAN is only one such wastewater surveillance network in the country, though it's the first to test for measles on a national level. The CDC launched its National Wastewater Surveillance System in 2020 and includes more than 1,400 sites that cover 150 million Americans. Some state health departments—including in Texas, where the current measles outbreaks began—also test wastewater samples. WastewaterSCAN collaborates with the CDC, but the CDC does not yet test for measles in wastewater. Doctors who see patients with measles must report the case to the CDC so the agency can track it and respond to any outbreaks. But it takes time for people to develop symptoms, seek medical care, get tested, and then have their case reported if the test is positive. In addition, the first symptoms of measles are common ones like fever, runny nose, and cough—before the telltale rash appears. Plus, not everyone may get sick enough to know they have measles, so their cases may go unreported. Still others may get sick but not have access to health care and therefore never seek medical help. Read More: Measles Vaccination Rates Are Plummeting Across the U.S. Wastewater monitoring bypasses those hurdles and can theoretically catch evidence of the virus much earlier. That could be especially helpful with a highly contagious disease like measles, in which one infected person can quickly spread the virus to as many as 18 others. 'This is anonymous testing that combines everyone in a community,' says Wolfe. 'And for measles, it's likely that shedding [of the virus] into wastewater is happening before people necessarily recognize what they have.' This type of tracking for measles is too new to know yet whether it can detect cases in a region before people start testing positive, Wolfe says. But wastewater surveillance was able to pick up signs of the COVID-19 virus days or sometimes even weeks before cases began appearing in hospitals and testing labs. Over time, as more data are collected on measles, health experts can begin to look for trends and patterns, such as increases in the number of positive samples. That could help public-health departments focus resources like vaccines in areas where infections are spreading. If the number of positive samples start to decline, that information could also give them a heads up when infections are under control. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself against measles infection, and the immunization provides close to lifelong immunity. Making sure that anyone who is eligible is up to date on their measles vaccines can help them avoid infection. Contact us at letters@
