Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Cost Of Not Getting Vaccinated For Tetanus: 57 Days In The Hospital And $800,000 In Medical Bills
The New York Times: An Unvaccinated Boy Got Tetanus. His Oregon Hospital Stay: 57 Days And $800,000.
A 6-year-old boy was playing on a farm when he cut his forehead, a laceration that was simple enough to tend to at home. But six days later, his parents realized something was seriously wrong: He was clenching his jaw, having trouble breathing and experiencing involuntary muscle spasms. (Mervosh, 3/9)
The Washington Post: Unvaccinated Child Of Anti-Vaxx Parents Contracted Tetanus In Oregon, CDC Report Says
The child was playing on a farm when he cut his head on something, the report said. His parents cleaned and stitched the wound at home, but alarming symptoms emerged six days later. The boy’s jaw began clenching, and his neck and back were arched — a trademark indication of tetanus called opisthotonus that is caused by involuntary muscle spasms. He was airlifted to a pediatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with tetanus. It was the first instance of the life-threatening neuromuscular disease in a child in Oregon in more than three decades. (Wang, 3/8)
The Associated Press: CDC: Unvaccinated Oregon Boy Almost Dies Of Tetanus
"This is an awful disease, but ... we have had a mechanism to completely prevent it, and the reason that we have virtually no cases anymore in the United States is because we vaccinate, literally, everyone." Doctors in Portland, Oregon, who treated the child declined to provide any further information about the family at a news conference Friday, citing medical privacy laws. It was the first time that Dr. Judith Guzman-Cottrill, the pediatric infectious disease expert who treated the child, had ever seen tetanus because of widespread vaccination against it in the U.S. (3/8)
In other news on vaccinations and outbreaks —
Washington Post: 2019 Is Shaping Up To Be The Worst Year For Measles Since ’90s, CDC Data Show
More than 200 cases of measles were confirmed in the United States in the first two months of the year, with outbreaks occurring in 11 states, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 206 cases in January and February represent the highest year-to-date number going back more than a quarter-century. (Ingraham, 3/8)
Kaiser Health News: Why Measles Hits So Hard Within N.Y. Orthodox Jewish Community
The Rockland County, N.Y., woman hadn’t told her obstetrician that she had a fever and rash, two key signs of a measles infection. A member of the Orthodox Jewish community there, she went into premature labor at 34 weeks, possibly as a result of the infection. Her baby was born with measles and spent his first 10 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. The infant is home now, but “we don’t know how this baby will do,” said Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, the health commissioner for Rockland County. When young children contract measles, they face a heightened risk of complications from the disease, including seizures or hearing and vision problems down the road. (Andrews, 3/11)
Dallas Morning News: Measles Case Confirmed In Collin County Is Second For Dallas-Fort Worth, 11th Statewide | Public Health | Dallas News
A case of measles has been confirmed in Collin County, according to health officials. The case is the first in the county and the second in North Texas this year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. A case was confirmed in Denton County in February. The health department said Wednesday that Texas had surpassed the total number of measles cases in all of 2018. The Collin County case puts the total statewide at 11 cases — two more than last year. (Cardong, 3/11)
Dallas Morning News: Can Teens Get Vaccinated On Their Own? What Shots Are Required? Questions About Texas Immunization Laws, Answered
While there's plenty of misinformation around the internet about the effectiveness of vaccinations, Texas law is straightforward about which vaccines are required for a child to enroll in a school or day care and how children can be exempted from vaccine laws. ...In Texas, minors can't consent to immunizations on their own — a parent or guardian must do so, except in some special circumstances. For example, minors who are pregnant or who have a child are allowed to consent to immunizations for themselves or their child under Texas law. (Coello, 3/10)
Seattle Times: How A Straight Shooter Is Trying To Change Washington State’s Vaccine-Exemption Law
Vancouver and Clark County are home to an unprecedented measles outbreak — 70 of the state’s 71 confirmed cases, more than 800 exposed kids held out of school, and an elevated rate of parents whose decisions to not have their children vaccinated have helped spread a disease considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. While he often agrees with his fellow Republicans, when it comes to education and public health, [Paul] Harris is viewed as a pragmatic problem-solver willing to go against his party. This session, along with looking to raise immunity to viral diseases in his community, he hopes to keep teens away from smoking by raising the minimum age for tobacco from 18 to 21. (Goldstein-Street, 3/10)
Arizona Republic: First Arizona Measles Case This Year Confirmed In Pima County
Arizona health agencies confirmed Friday that a 1-year-old child in Pima County has been diagnosed with measles, the first confirmed case in the state this year. The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Pima County Public Health Department said in a joint statement the case involves an individual with "Asia-related travel." (Fish, 3/8)
