Texas-New Mexico Measles Outbreak Has Likely Spread To Oklahoma
Two people from the Sooner State were reportedly exposed to the virus and followed safety measures to stop the spread. Meanwhile, as cases swell to 223 in Texas and 33 in New Mexico, health officials in California are warning about an exposure risk after a Los Angeles County resident tested positive.
CIDRAP:
Oklahoma Reports First Measles Cases Linked To Growing Texas Outbreak
Today, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) reported two measles cases in the state likely linked to ongoing outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico. The individuals reportedly self-isolated and refrained from going out in public upon symptom onset, OSDH said. (Soucheray, 3/11)
CBS News:
LA County Confirms First Measles Case In Resident
The resident recently traveled through LAX before going to a North Hollywood nail salon and an El Monte grocery store. (Rodriguez, 3/11)
AP:
Measles Cases Are Still Rising In Texas. Here's What You Should Know About The Contagious Virus
Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 25 new cases of measles since the end of last week, bringing Texas’ total to 223. Twenty-nine people in Texas are hospitalized. New Mexico health officials announced three new cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 33. The outbreak has spread from Lea County, which neighbors the West Texas communities at the epicenter of the outbreak, to include one case in Eddy County. (Shastri, 3/11)
NBC News:
Long-Term Dangers Of Measles Include 'Immune Amnesia,' Brain Swelling
Measles is unlike other childhood viruses that come and go. In severe cases it can cause pneumonia. About 1 in 1,000 patients develops encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, and there are 1 or 2 deaths per 1,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus can wipe out the immune system, a complication called “immune amnesia.” (Syal, 3/12)
In related news about vaccines —
Stat:
CDC Nominee Dave Weldon Has Long Supported Anti-Vaccine Theories
Unlike President Trump’s picks to lead other health agencies who established their conservative bona fides during the Covid-19 pandemic, his choice to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dave Weldon, was virtually invisible during that period. But an examination by STAT of thousands of pages of documents from Weldon’s 14 years in Congress, part of his archives housed here at the Florida Institute of Technology, and interviews with a half-dozen former health officials, found that his support for anti-vaccine theories runs long and deep. (Owermohle, 3/12)
