Measles cases in the U.S. are growing

[Free]

I posted this here, but thought it might be time to pull it out into its own thread (I hope I'm wrong!).

Nine unvaccinated people hospitalized as Texas measles outbreak doubles

All 24 cases are in unvaccinated people, 22 of which are under age 17.

arstechnica.com

An outbreak of measles in one of Texas' least vaccinated counties continues to rapidly expand, with officials reporting 24 cases Tuesday, up from just nine confirmed on Friday.

According to an update by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), all 24 cases identified in the two-week-old outbreak are in unvaccinated people. Nine of the patients (37.5 percent) required hospitalization.

Most of the cases are in children. DSHS provided an age breakdown that listed six cases as being in infants and young children between the ages of 0 and 4. This is the age group most vulnerable to measles because they have a heightened risk of complications from the disease and may be too young to be fully vaccinated with the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Children are recommended to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, one between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years. One dose of MMR vaccine is estimated to be 93 percent effective against measles, while two doses are 97 percent effective.

 

[Free]

Ayup.

Texas measles outbreak reaches 90 cases; 9 cases in New Mexico

The Texas cases are largely in children. Sixteen cases have been hospitalized.

arstechnica.com

An ongoing measles outbreak that began in one of Texas' least vaccinated counties has mushroomed to 90 cases across a cluster of seven counties in the state, according to an update by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Friday.

The outbreak may have also spread across the border to New Mexico, where nine cases have been reported. In an email to Ars, Robert Nott, the communications director for the New Mexico Department of Health, said that as of today, the department has not confirmed a connection between the nine cases and any of the confirmed cases in Texas.

However, all nine of the cases are in Lea County, New Mexico, which sits at the border with Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the outbreak. Of Texas' 90 cases, 57 are in Gaines, which has a vaccination rate among kindergarteners of just 82 percent this school year. The lack of a clear connection between the Texas and New Mexico cases may be yet more worrying because it suggests undetected community spread and a heightened risk of transmission in Lea, the health department noted in an alert last week.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico sicken nearly 100 - The Washington Post

 

[Beebo Brink]

Up to 124 now as it spreads to San Antonio. So now it's in a dense urban population.

Measles surges in Texas as exposure spreads to San Antonio

 

[Caete]

Two cases in Houston but that was when the total count was 92...

Texas measles outbreak grows to 92 cases, including 2 in Houston, most unvaccinated

 

[Beebo Brink]

West Texas child is first measles death amid surging outbreak

 

[Veritable Quandry]

If only we had some safe and effective way to prevent measles.

Having lived in Lubbock I am not surprised it happened in West Texas.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Having lived in Lubbock...

Dear god, you have my sympathy.

 

[Soen Eber]

I've read the mortality rate is in the very low percentages, like 1 or 2 or so, especially for the very young or elderly. This FAFO thing seems to be holding to that so far.

 

[Free]

Good news, everyone...Some parents are being frightened into doing the right thing.

As Texas measles outbreak grows, parents are choosing to vaccinate kids

As the measles outbreak in Texas keeps spreading, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the serious illness.

“People are more and more nervous” as they watch the highly contagious virus spread in their communities, mostly among children, said Katherine Wells, director of public health for Lubbock's health department. “We’ve vaccinated multiple kids that have never been vaccinated before, some from families that didn’t believe in vaccines.”

About half of the approximately 100 doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) given at the health department last week were to kids who were unvaccinated, Wells said.

 

[Caete]

One case in Kentucky. an adult, and two more in New Jersey linked to a patient whose case was confirmed earlier this month.

Measles cases reported in New Jersey, Kentucky amid ongoing outbreak in Texas

 

[Isabeau]

(from 2015)

Child dying from measles just glad he isn't autistic - The Beaverton

TORONTO – Quarantined in his hospital room after contracting a fatal case of measles, little Timothy Bartlet told reporters how glad he was that his parents opted not to vaccinate for fear of giving him autism. “Wow! It sure is hard to die painfully from a totally preventable disease, but I...

www.thebeaverton.com

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Anyone else worried the new outbreak will mutate until it can circumvent the old vaccine? Do we know if that's a possibility? This disease would have been eradicated if people weren't willfully ignorant...

 

[Free]

Texas official warns against “measles parties” as outbreak keeps growing

Twenty people have been hospitalized. Most cases are in children.

arstechnica.com

In a press briefing hosted by the city of Lubbock, Texas, on Friday, Ron Cook, chief health officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, offered the stark warning for Texans in his opening statements.

"What I want you to hear is: It's not good to go have measles parties because what may happen is—we can't predict who's going to do poorly with measles, be hospitalized, potentially get pneumonia or encephalitis and or pass away from this," Cook said. "So that's a foolish idea to go have a measles party. The best thing to do is make sure that you're well-vaccinated."

For those unaware of the term: What are measles parties?
Also: Pox party - Wikipedia

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Anyone else worried the new outbreak will mutate until it can circumvent the old vaccine? Do we know if that's a possibility? This disease would have been eradicated if people weren't willfully ignorant...

Fortunately measles and polio are among the slowest mutating rna viral infections. They are not like flu or covid that requires new vaccine mixes every year.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Fortunately measles and polio are among the slowest mutating rna viral infections. They are not like flu or covid that requires new vaccine mixes every year.

Yeah, I wasn't sure, but figured it had to be something like that or it would have already happened.

 

[Casey Pelous]

Anyone else worried the new outbreak will mutate until it can circumvent the old vaccine? Do we know if that's a possibility? This disease would have been eradicated if people weren't willfully ignorant...

That is a really valid question.

Smallpox, cowpox, monkey pox... those are all DNA viruses. Mutations tend to make them fail, so they are pretty stable.

Measles is an RNA virus. So is the COVID virus. In general, RNA viruses seem to be able to mutate a bunch and keep on ticking. I do not know if that is true for measles.

Fabulous.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Not The Onion: nation wide famous and well known antivaxxer Robert F. Kenney Jr. telling the people to vaccinate against measles.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tells readers what his agency is doing and what they can do to stop the measles outbreak that has claimed a child's life in Texas.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Mexico warns its people not to travel to Texas due to the measles outbreak.

https://www.kxan.com/news/mexicans-warned-not-to-travel-to-texas-over-measles/

 

[Caete]

CDC confirms 164 in nine states so far. The states are Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Texas. Second possible death linked to measles in New Mexico. Actual numbers are going to be higher than given due to delays in the reporting structure.

Unvaccinated New Mexico resident tests positive for measles after dying