Shutterstock
Measles has surged back into the U.S. public health spotlight, spreading to nine states after being declared eliminated as an endemic disease in 2000. The current outbreak, which began in Texas, has now infected at least 164 people nationwide.
An unvaccinated child died from the disease — the first measles fatality in the United States since 2015.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified three distinct outbreaks with confirmed cases now appearing in New Mexico, Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
Hospitalization has been required for 20 percent of all reported cases. Children under five have been particularly vulnerable, with 29 percent of infected youngsters in this age group needing hospital care.
“Measles is highly contagious. It’s probably the most contagious virus that we know of,” Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, told the Texas House Committee on Public Health.
Dr. Shuford warned that Texas expects case numbers to continue climbing due to low vaccination rates. The state is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in nearly three decades.
When State Rep. John Bucy III questioned why these outbreaks are occurring “especially if we’ve eliminated this disease in 2000,” Dr. Shuford pointed to shifting public attitudes.
“There has been just some decreased interest or distrust in vaccines, and that’s caused a decrease in vaccination rates,” she explained.
The impact extends beyond personal choice.
During the committee hearing, Bucy asked if someone refusing vaccination for non-medical reasons while living in densely populated areas affects community safety. According to KXAN News, Dr. Shuford confirmed: “They’re allowing it to be able to spread to other people.”
State Rep. James Frank addressed the roots of vaccine hesitancy during the same session. “I think some of the distrust is caused, I think, in some parts rightly or wrongly by perceived information, or sometimes actual misinformation coming from people in authority,” he said. “The measles vaccine seems a very clear case something we should do, and yet there are other things that are called vaccines that sometimes I don’t think operate like vaccines and don’t keep you from getting it.”
The measles resurgence isn’t occurring in isolation. Public health officials are simultaneously battling a dysentery outbreak in Oregon and the spread of bird flu across several states.
These multiple health challenges emerge as hundreds of staff members at the Department of Health and Human Services — including personnel at the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and CDC — have recently received termination notices under orders from the Trump administration.
