Texas measles outbreak grows as unvaccinated deaths rise

RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second child who was infected

THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. I’M CODY HOLYOKE. WE BEGIN WITH A LIFE OR DEATH ISSUE THAT ABSOLUTELY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE. AND IT’S NOT EVEN THE FIRST TIME WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS. 25 YEARS AGO, HEALTH OFFICIALS DECLARED THE MEASLES ERADICATED IN THE U.S., THANKS IN LARGE PART TO REDOUBLED EFFORTS TO VACCINATE OUR KIDS. NOW IT IS BACK IN A BIG WAY AND CAUSING SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS TO OUR SOUTH. AN ADULT AND SCHOOL AGE CHILD HAVE DIED, AND MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN SICK AFTER MEASLES OUTBREAKS IN WEST TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO. IT’S TEXAS’S LARGEST OUTBREAK IN NEARLY 30 YEARS, FUELED IN PART BY AN UNDER-VACCINATED POPULATION. NORMALLY, TWO SHOTS OF THE MEASLES, MUMPS AND RUBELLA VACCINE IS 97% EFFECTIVE. BUT HEALTH EXPERTS SAY PEOPLE HAVEN’T BEEN GETTING THEIR SHOTS. IF WE CONTINUE TO SEE DECREASES IN OUR VACCINE COVERAGE RATE, WE’LL SEE MORE AND MORE CASES. AND OUR DOCTORS HERE IN TEXAS AND ACROSS THE UNITED STATES WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CARE OF MORE MEASLES CASES, ONE ON ONE. OBVIOUSLY, THAT WOULD NOT BE A GOOD THING. WE ARE STILL SEEING A RISE IN INFECTIONS, THOUGH. AT LAST CHECK, THE CDC REPORTS AT LEAST 222 CASES IN 12 STATES, WITH ALL BUT 15 CASES TIED TO OUTBREAKS. KEEP IN MIND, MEASLES CASES HERE AND THERE AREN’T ANYTHING NEW, BUT OUTBREAKS OF THIS SCALE ARE. IT’S GOTTEN SO BAD. A MAN WHO HAS SPOKEN PUBLICLY AGAINST VACCINES FOR DECADES SAYS YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GET YOUR SHOTS. IN AN OP ED EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE NEW HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY ROBERT F KENNEDY JR STEELE, ACKNOWLEDGED THE DECISION TO VACCINATE IS A PERSONAL ONE, BUT HE WENT ON TO WRITE VACCINES NOT ONLY PROTECT INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN FROM MEASLES, BUT ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY IMMUNITY, PROTECTING THOSE WHO ARE UNABLE TO BE VACCINATED DUE TO MEDICAL REASONS. HERE’S THE ISSUE. VACCINATION RATES HAVE SLIPPED SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC, AND MORE PEOPLE ARE VULNERABLE. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE AT LEAST 95% OF A POPULATION VACCINATED AGAINST THE MEASLES. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING. IN FACT, THE LATEST NUMBERS SHOW KANSAS AND MISSOURI KINDERGARTNERS JUST ABOVE 90%, WITH THE NATIONAL AVERAGE SLIGHTLY HIGHER. HEALTH EXPERTS STRESS BEING VACCINATED IS THE KEY TO KEEPING PEOPLE HEALTHY. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP AN OUTBREAK OF MEASLES IS TO PREVENT INFECTIONS. DOCTORS ALSO POINT OUT A SURGE IN MISINFORMATION SURROUNDING VACCINES HAS ALSO LED TO FEWER PEOPLE GETTING THEIR SHOTS, WHICH IN TURN CAN LEAD TO AN OUTBREAK. LET’S SORT FACT FROM FICTION AS WE GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER AFFECTING OUR HEALTH. PLEASE WELCOME PEDIATRICIAN DOCTOR WHITNEY PRESSLER AND DOCTOR DANA HAWKINSON, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HEALTH SYSTEM. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE. FIRST OFF, LET’S DISCUSS HOW CONTAGIOUS THE MEASLES CAN BE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE NOT VACCINATED. YEAH, I THINK WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT MEASLES IS ONE OF THE MOST CONTAGIOUS INFECTIOUS DISEASES THAT WE KNOW OF. IT IS SPREAD BY DROPLETS, BUT ALSO AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION. SO THAT MEANS THAT IF SOMEBODY IS WALKING THROUGH A STORE OR A ROOM OR EVEN A CHURCH AND THEY’RE COUGHING AND THEY’RE THEY HAVE THE DISEASE THAT MEASLES VIRUS CAN HANG IN THE AIR FOR UP TO TWO HOURS AFTER THAT PERSON IS LEFT. SO IT’S VERY EASY FOR IT TO SPREAD. YEAH. DOCTOR PRESSLER, I’M SURE YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED PARENTS WHO ARE ASKING ABOUT THE MEASLES RIGHT NOW. YEAH, IT’S THE TOPIC OF THE WEEK. I WOULD SAY IN OUR CLINIC, EVEN FOR HEALTHY KIDS, ESPECIALLY PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN ARE UNDERSTANDABLY WORRIED AS CASES AROUND THE COUNTRY GO UP, WE’RE WONDERING WHAT WE CAN DO TO PROTECT OUR KIDS. AND IF PEOPLE NEED VACCINATIONS OR SECOND VACCINATIONS EARLIER THAN WE WOULD NORMALLY SCHEDULE THEM. WE TALK ABOUT VACCINE HESITANCY. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC. I’M SURE PARENTS ARE ALSO A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT SHOTS, CONSIDERING EVERYTHING THAT THEY’RE HEARING FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD. WHAT DO YOU TELL THEM ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE MMR VACCINES? SO THE GREAT NEWS IS THIS VACCINE IS INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE. EVEN ONE DOSE. SO FOR MY CHILDREN IN MY CLINIC WHO ARE AT LEAST ONE WHO HAVE HAD ONE DOSE OF THE MEASLES VACCINE, YOU GET ABOUT A 91 TO 93% RATE OF EFFECTIVENESS. SO PREVENTING COMPLICATIONS FROM MEASLES AFTER THAT SECOND DOSE WHEN YOU’RE GETTING READY FOR KINDERGARTEN. WE’RE AT CLOSE TO A 95 TO 98% EFFECTIVENESS. IT’S A GREAT SHOT. AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE VERY, VERY SAFE. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE DOCTOR HAWKINSON RIGHT NOW TRYING TO FIGHT THIS OUTBREAK THAT WE’RE SEEING IN TEXAS AND NOW SPREAD TO AT LEAST 12 STATES. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? YEAH, I THINK IT’S THE ACUTE ISSUE OF GETTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT PROTECTED, WHO ARE UNVACCINATED, GETTING THEM PROTECTION. SO THAT IS GETTING ALSO PROTECTION FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT MAY BE MORE AT RISK BECAUSE THEY ARE IMMUNE SUPPRESSED. THEY ARE TOO YOUNG TO GET THE VACCINE. THAT’S THE MOST IMMEDIATE PROBLEM. THE NEXT THING IS COMBATING THE MISINFORMATION THAT IS OUT THERE THAT WE HAVE SEEN BEING STOKED AND INCREASED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. MISINFORMATION ABOUT MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH, INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE INFORMATION, AND THEN ALSO COMBATING TRUST OR MISTRUST OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL PHYSICIANS AND WORKERS. RIGHT. AND THAT REALLY STARTS IN IN THE PRACTICE. WELL, RIGHT. JUST TRYING TO TO TELL THEM, HEY, THIS IS WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE ON TV OR HEAR OUT IN THE WORLD, BUT THIS IS VACCINE IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. ABSOLUTELY. AND I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT YOUR PEDIATRICIAN OR WHOEVER PROVIDES HEALTH CARE FOR YOUR CHILD IS THE BEST PERSON TO TALK TO. YOU HAVE A LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, AND IF YOU HEAR THINGS ON TELEVISION, YOU READ THINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. YOU GET INFORMATION FROM WHEREVER. AND IF IT GIVES YOU THAT PAUSE. TALK TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN ABOUT IT AND THEY’LL THEY’LL HELP YOU SORT OUT THE MISINFORMATION FROM THE FACT IF FOR YEARS NOW, AS YOU SAID, VACCINATING AGAINST THE MEASLES HAS BEEN KIND OF A TWO DOSE PROCESS. IF I’M AN ADULT WHO MAYBE GOT THEIR SHOT DECADES AGO OR NOT, QUITE SURE IF I GOT THAT SECOND SHOT, WHAT DO I NEED TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW? YEAH. SO IF YOU DID GET VACCINATED DECADES AGO, AS YOU SAID, AND YOU HAVE RECEIVED TWO DOSES, YOU ARE PROTECTED. AGAIN, AS WE HEARD, UP TO 98% PROTECTION AGAINST THE DISEASE. IF YOU ARE UNSURE, THEN CERTAINLY TRY TO FIND YOUR VACCINE RECORDS. IF YOU’RE UNABLE TO FIND YOUR VACCINE RECORDS, YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR PHYSICIAN. IF YOU CAN DISCUSS WHAT TO DO NEXT. THERE IS A TEST THAT YOU CAN GET CALLED SEROLOGY, WHERE YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF PROTECTION YOU HAVE. IT’S JUST AN ANTIBODY TEST. YOU CAN ORDER THAT. AND THEN CERTAINLY IF YOU ARE UNSURE AND YOU DON’T HAVE RISK FACTORS OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION, THEN IT’S CERTAINLY OKAY TO GET ANOTHER DOSE OF THE VACCINE FOR PROTECTION. OKAY. WE MENTIONED THE LOWER VACCINATION RATES AMONG KINDERGARTNERS IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI A MINUTE AGO. WHAT SHOULD PARENTS BE LOOKING FOR AS FAR AS SIGNS OF MEASLES? AND THEN HOW DO YOU TREAT IT? WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? IT’S A GREAT QUESTION. THE SIGNS OF MEASLES, THE MOST COMMON ONES ARE COUGH AND A RASH, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY ARE REALLY COMMON SYMPTOMS THAT YOU HAVE WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT VIRUSES. SO I TELL PEOPLE, IF IT FEELS LIKE YOUR CHILD IS VERY SICK WITH A COUGH, RASH AND FEVER, CALL YOUR PEDIATRICIAN IF YOU THINK THEY MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO MEASLES. WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A HEADS UP WHEN YOU MAKE THAT PHONE CALL SO THAT WE CAN GET YOU INTO A ROOM ALONE, SO YOU’RE NOT EXPOSING POTENTIALLY OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WAITING ROOM. WE WILL RUN A TEST FOR MEASLES IF WE THINK THAT IT’S A MEASLES CASE AND KIND OF GO FROM THERE. THE TREATMENT, UNFORTUNATELY, THERE’S NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT THAT’S GOING TO FIX OR CURE THE MEASLES. IT’S WHAT WE CALL SUPPORTIVE CARE, WHICH MEANS WHATEVER SYMPTOMS YOU HAVE, THOSE ARE THE SYMPTOMS THAT WE AIM TO TREAT UNTIL YOU GET BETTER. RIGHT. SO VACCINATION WOULD HELP PREVENT A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES PREVENTING GETTING SICK IN THE FIRST PLACE WOULD BE MY BEST RECOMMENDATION. ALL RIGHT. WE’LL LEAVE IT THERE. DOCTOR WHITNEY PRESSLER, DOCTOR DANA HAWKINSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR INSIGHT. KMBC NINE NEWS IS KEEPING YOU SAFE AS WE WATCH THE SPREAD OF VIRUSES IN OUR AREA. LOOK FOR UPDATES AND WAY

RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second child who was infected

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the epicenter of Texas' still-growing measles outbreak on Sunday, the same day a funeral was held for a second young child who was not vaccinated and died from a measles-related illness.Kennedy said in a social media post that he was working to “control the outbreak" and went to Gaines County to comfort the families who have buried two young children. He was seen late Sunday afternoon outside of a Mennonite church where the funeral services were held, but he did not attend a nearby news conference held by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the outbreak.Seminole is the epicenter of the outbreak, which started in late January and continues to swell �� with nearly 500 cases in Texas alone, plus cases from the outbreak believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.The second young child died Thursday from "what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure,�� and did not have underlying health conditions, the Texas State Department of State Health Services said Sunday in a news release. Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for UMC Health System in Lubbock, said that the child was “receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized.”This is the third known measles-related death tied to this outbreak. One was another elementary school-aged child in Texas and the other was an adult in New Mexico; neither were vaccinated.It's Kennedy's first visit to the area as health secretary, where he said he met with families of both the 6- and 8-year-old children who died. He said he “developed bonds�� with the Mennonite community in West Texas in which the virus is mostly spreading.Kennedy, an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of nation’s top health secretary earlier this year, has resisted urging widespread vaccinations as the measles outbreak has worsened under his watch. On Sunday, however, he said in a lengthy statement posted on X that it was “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles."The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is 97% effective against measles after two doses.Dr. Manisha Patel, CDC incident manager, said in a Sunday news conference that the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect against measles. She also told parents in Gaines County that it was important not to “delay care�� for a child who is sick with measles.“Call your doctor and make sure you’re talking to a health care professional who can guide you on those next steps," Patel said.Kennedy’s social media post said CDC employees had been “redeployed.�� CDC spokesman Jason McDonald clarified late Sunday that the first CDC team arrived in early March and left Gaines County on April 1, while a team led by Patel “was redeployed and arrived today to assess needs" as ordered by Kennedy and requested by Texas' governor.Asked about the outbreak Sunday by reporters on Air Force One, Trump said, “they’re doing reports on it,�� adding that if the outbreak “progresses, we’ll will have to take action very strongly.”Neither the CDC nor the state health department included the death in their measles reports issued Friday, but the CDC acknowledged it when asked Sunday.The number of cases in Texas shot up by 81 between March 28 and April 4, and 16 more people were hospitalized. Nationwide, the U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024.Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, a liver doctor whose vote helped cinch Kennedy’s confirmation, called Sunday for stronger messaging from health officials in a post on X.“Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles,�� he wrote. “Top health officials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies.”Cassidy has requested Kennedy to appear before his health committee Thursday, although Kennedy has not publicly confirmed whether he will attend.A CDC spokesperson noted the efficacy of the measles vaccine Sunday but stopped short of calling on people to get it. Departing from long-standing public health messaging around vaccination, the spokesperson called the decision a “personal one�� and encouraged people to talk with their doctor. People “should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines," the spokesperson added.Misinformation about how to prevent and treat measles is hindering a robust public health response, including claims about vitamin A supplements that have been pushed by Kennedy and holistic medicine supporters despite doctors�� warnings that it should be given under a physician's orders and that too much can be dangerous.Doctors at Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, where the first measles death occurred, say they've treated fewer than 10 children for liver issues from vitamin A toxicity, which they found when running routine lab tests on children who are not fully vaccinated and have measles. Dr. Lara Johnson, chief medical officer, said the patients reported using vitamin A to treat and prevent the virus.Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration’s former vaccine chief, said responsibility for the death rests with Kennedy and his staff. Marks was forced out of the FDA after disagreements with Kennedy over vaccine safety.“This is the epitome of an absolute needless death,�� Marks told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday. “These kids should get vaccinated �� that’s how you prevent people from dying of measles.”Marks also said he recently warned U.S. senators that more deaths would occur if the administration didn’t mount a more aggressive response to the outbreak.Experts and local health officials expect the outbreak to go on for several more months if not a year. In West Texas, the vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated people and children younger than 17.With several states facing outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease �� and declining childhood vaccination rates nationwide �� some worry that measles may cost the U.S. its status as having eliminated the disease.Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the CDC. The first shot is recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for ages 4 to 6 years.___Seitz reported from Washington. Photojournalist Annie Rice in Seminole, Texas, and AP reporter Matthew Perrone in Washington contributed to this report.

Kennedy said in a social media post that he was working to “control the outbreak" and went to Gaines County to comfort the families who have buried two young children. He was seen late Sunday afternoon outside of a Mennonite church where the funeral services were held, but he did not attend a nearby news conference held by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the outbreak.

Seminole is the which started in late January and continues to swell �� with nearly 500 cases in Texas alone, plus cases from the outbreak believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.

The second young child died Thursday from "what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure,�� and did not have underlying health conditions, the Texas State Department of State Health Services said Sunday . Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for UMC Health System in Lubbock, said that the child was “receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized.��

This is the third known measles-related death tied to this outbreak. One was another elementary school-aged child in Texas and the other was an adult in New Mexico; neither were vaccinated.

It's Kennedy's first visit to the area as health secretary, where he said he met with families of both the 6- and 8-year-old children who died. He said he “developed bonds�� with the Mennonite community in West Texas in which the virus is mostly spreading.

Kennedy, an anti-vaccine advocate before ascending to the role of nation’s top health secretary earlier this year, has resisted urging widespread vaccinations as the measles outbreak has worsened under his watch. On Sunday, however, he said in a lengthy statement posted on X that it was “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles."

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been used safely for more than 60 years and is 97% effective against measles after two doses.

Dr. Manisha Patel, CDC incident manager, said in a Sunday news conference that the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect against measles. She also told parents in Gaines County that it was important not to “delay care�� for a child who is sick with measles.

“Call your doctor and make sure you’re talking to a health care professional who can guide you on those next steps," Patel said.

Kennedy’s social media post said CDC employees had been “redeployed.�� CDC spokesman Jason McDonald clarified late Sunday that the first CDC team arrived in early March and left Gaines County on April 1, while a team led by Patel “was redeployed and arrived today to assess needs" as ordered by Kennedy and requested by Texas' governor.

Asked about the outbreak Sunday by reporters on Air Force One, Trump said, “they’re doing reports on it,�� adding that if the outbreak “progresses, we’ll will have to take action very strongly.��

Neither the CDC nor the state health department included the death in their measles reports issued Friday, but the CDC acknowledged it when asked Sunday.

The number of cases in Texas shot up by 81 between March 28 and April 4, and 16 more people were hospitalized. Nationwide, the U.S. has more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024.

Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, a liver doctor whose vote helped cinch Kennedy’s confirmation, called Sunday for stronger messaging from health officials .

“Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles,�� he wrote. “Top health officials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies.��

Cassidy has requested Kennedy to appear before his health committee Thursday, although Kennedy has not publicly confirmed whether he will attend.

A CDC spokesperson noted the efficacy of the measles vaccine Sunday but stopped short of calling on people to get it. Departing from long-standing public health messaging around vaccination, the spokesperson called the decision a “personal one�� and encouraged people to talk with their doctor. People “should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines," the spokesperson added.

Misinformation about how to prevent and treat measles is hindering a robust public health response, including claims about vitamin A supplements that have been pushed by Kennedy and holistic medicine supporters despite doctors�� warnings that it should be given under a physician's orders and that too much can be dangerous.

Doctors at Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, where the first measles death occurred, say they've treated fewer than 10 children for liver issues from vitamin A toxicity, which they found when running routine lab tests on children who are not fully vaccinated and have measles. Dr. Lara Johnson, chief medical officer, said the patients reported using vitamin A to treat and prevent the virus.

Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration’s former vaccine chief, said responsibility for the death rests with Kennedy and his staff. Marks was forced out of the FDA after disagreements with Kennedy over vaccine safety.

“This is the epitome of an absolute needless death,�� Marks told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday. “These kids should get vaccinated �� that’s how you prevent people from dying of measles.��

Marks also said he recently warned U.S. senators that more deaths would occur if the administration didn’t mount a more aggressive response to the outbreak.

Experts and local health officials expect the outbreak to go on for several more months if not a year. In West Texas, the vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated people and children younger than 17.

With several states facing outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease �� and declining childhood vaccination rates nationwide �� some worry that measles may cost the U.S. its status as having eliminated the disease.

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, . The first shot is recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for ages 4 to 6 years.

___

Seitz reported from Washington. Photojournalist Annie Rice in Seminole, Texas, and AP reporter Matthew Perrone in Washington contributed to this report.

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RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second child who was infected

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