Texas Measles Outbreak Hits 624 Cases, Amid Rise In Misinformation

ABC News: Texas Measles Outbreak Surpasses 600 Cases With Most Among Children, Teens
The measles outbreak in western Texas has now reached 624 cases, with 27 new infections confirmed over the last five days. Nearly all of the cases are among unvaccinated individuals or among those whose vaccination status is unknown, according to new data published by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on Tuesday. Currently, 10 cases are among residents who have been vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while 12 cases are among those vaccinated with two doses. (Kekatos, 4/22)

On vaccine mistrust —

KFF Health News: Measles Misinformation Is On The Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds
While the most serious measles epidemic in a decade has led to the deaths of two children and spread to 27 states with no signs of letting up, beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine and the threat of the disease are sharply polarized, fed by the anti-vaccine views of the country’s seniormost health official. About two-thirds of Republican-leaning parents are unaware of an uptick in measles cases this year while about two-thirds of Democratic ones knew about it, according to a KFF survey released Wednesday. (Allen, 4/23)

Axios: Vaccine Developers Mobilize Amid "Great Unraveling" Of Their Work
Hundreds of vaccine researchers gathered in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, still struggling to counter rising anti-vaccine sentiment and mistrust many blamed on top Trump administration health officials. (Reed, 4/23)

Newsweek: Florida Doctors Aren't Treating Unvaccinated Kids, Surgeon General Says
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is urging the passing of statewide legislation to minimize purported incidents of doctors rejecting patients due to being unvaccinated. Newsweek reached out to the Florida Department of Health for comment. In March, Lapado and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged Florida lawmakers to pass legislation making it illegal for businesses and government entities to fire or refuse to hire employees based on their vaccination status, as well as to implement a permanent ban on mRNA vaccine mandates in Florida—which Ladapo compared to the "horrific things" doctors did to Jewish people in Nazi concentration camps. (Mordowanec, 4/22)

On whooping cough, bird flu, and RSV —

The Washington Post: Whooping Cough Cases Surge As Vaccine Rates Fall
Whooping cough cases are soaring in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the Trump administration’s cuts to federal health agencies and funding destabilize programs that monitor disease and promote vaccination. The U.S. has tallied 8,077 cases of whooping cough in 2025, compared with 3,847 cases in the same period last year, the CDC’s data shows. The bacterial illness, formally known as pertussis, spreads easily and is especially dangerous for infants. (Bellware, 4/22)

CIDRAP: New Agreement Geared Toward Universal Avian Flu Vaccine
The University of Cambridge–based DioSynVax and Singapore's ACM Biolabs have signed a deal to jointly develop a next-generation universal avian flu vaccine with the potential for mucosal delivery. The mRNA vaccine targets all major clades of the H5 avian flu subtype and is scalable for rapid, global distribution, according to a press release from DioSynVax. Delivery via a nasal spray could help increase uptake of the vaccine. (Soucheray, 4/22)

CIDRAP: Trial Shows Waning Efficacy Of RSV Vaccine Across 3 Seasons In Older Adults
A study of the single-dose respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in older adults shows that vaccine efficacy waned across three RSV seasons but suggests a booster vaccination dose 1 year after initial vaccination did little to provide additional efficacy. The study, a phase 3 clinical trial on GSK's Arexvy (adjuvanted RSV prefusion F protein-based vaccine [RSVPreF3 OA]), was published last week in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. (Soucheray, 4/22)