Latest news with #DavidSugerman
NBC News
a day ago
- Health
- NBC News
Measles cases reach highest point since the disease was eliminated in U.S. in 2000
Measles cases in the United States are the highest they've been since the country eliminated the disease in 2000. The U.S. has reported 1,277 cases since the start of the year, according to NBC News' tally of state health department data. Earlier this year, the U.S. also recorded its first measles deaths in a decade: two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico. All were unvaccinated. For the past 25 years, measles has been considered eliminated in the U.S. because it has not continuously spread over a yearlong period. There are still periodic outbreaks, however, including one that took off in in a Mennonite community in West Texas earlier this year. Vaccination rates in Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, are particularly low: As of the 2023-24 school year, 82% of kindergarteners in the county had received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) vaccine, far below the 95% rate needed to curb spread. Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a meeting of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee in April that measles would have to keep spreading through January 20 of next year for the U.S. to lose its elimination status. Most of the cases so far this year are linked to the Southwest outbreak — there have been more than 700 cases in Texas alone — though a number of smaller outbreaks, resulting from international travel, have been detected across the U.S. The resurgence of measles can be attributed, in part, to declining vaccination rates both globally and nationally. During the 2023-24 school year, less than 93% of kindergartners in the U.S. received the recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine, down from 95% during the 2019-20 school year. The West Texas outbreak parallels one in 2019 among Orthodox Jewish communities in New York with low vaccination rates. The U.S. recorded 1,274 cases that year. A vaccination campaign, which included a vaccine mandate in New York City and officials administering 60,000 doses in affected communities, helped contain the spread. New York's response was 'an incredible feat and something we're obviously trying to emulate,' Sugerman said. But he noted that the loss of Covid grant money has created 'funding limitations' in Texas. The CDC slashed $11.4 billion in Covid funding last month, some of which helped state health departments respond to disease outbreaks. Each measles case may cost $30,000 to $50,000 to address, which 'adds up quite quickly,' Sugerman said. Many disease experts have also expressed concern that the federal messaging around vaccines could make the outbreak harder to contain. While Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for people to get the measles vaccine, he has also framed vaccination as a personal choice, emphasized unproven treatments such as steroids or antibiotics and falsely claimed that immunity from measles vaccines wanes quickly. Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician who treats patients in Lubbock and Gaines County, said at a press conference in April that misinformation was the 'biggest nemesis' for health care providers. She was aware of some patients taking vitamin A instead of getting vaccinated, she said. Kennedy has played up the role of vitamin A in helping measles patients, though it's unclear how beneficial it is. The CDC says vitamin A can be administered under the supervision of a health care provider, but it's not a treatment for the disease. 'Countering the misinformation put out there about using vitamin A for treatment of measles has been a struggle, an upward struggle,' Montanez said. By contrast, two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles and offer lifelong protection. The virus is particularly dangerous for babies and young children, whose immune systems aren't always developed enough to fight an infection. In Texas, officials recommended an early dose for babies ages 6 to 11 months. Unvaccinated children older than 12 months old should get one dose, according to the state, then a second dose 28 days later. Measles often starts with a high fever, cough, runny nose and pink or watery eyes. From there, patients may develop white spots on the insides of the cheeks near the molars and a blotchy rash of flat, red spots. Severe cases can progress to pneumonia or swelling of the brain. Roughly 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to the CDC.
NBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
Measles cases reach highest point since the disease was eliminated from U.S. in 2000
Measles cases in the United States are the highest they've been since the country eliminated the disease in 2000. The U.S. has reported 1,277 cases since the start of the year, according to NBC News' tally of state health department data. Earlier this year, the U.S. also recorded its first measles deaths in a decade: two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico. All were unvaccinated. For the past 25 years, measles has been considered eliminated in the U.S. because it has not continuously spread over a year-long period. There are still periodic outbreaks, however, including one that took off in in a Mennonite community in West Texas earlier this year. Vaccination rates in Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, are particularly low: As of the 2023-24 school year, 82% of kindergarteners in the county had received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) vaccine, far below the 95% rate needed to curb spread. Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a meeting of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee in April that measles would have to keep spreading through January 20 of next year for the U.S. to lose its elimination status. Most of the cases so far this year are linked to the Southwest outbreak — there have been more than 700 cases in Texas alone — though a number of smaller outbreaks, resulting from international travel, have been detected across the U.S. The resurgence of measles can be attributed, in part, to declining vaccination rates both globally and nationally. During the 2023-24 school year, less than 93% of kindergartners in the U.S. received the recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine, down from 95% during the 2019-20 school year. The West Texas outbreak parallels one in 2019 among Orthodox Jewish communities in New York with low vaccination rates. The U.S. recorded 1,274 cases that year. A vaccination campaign, which included a vaccine mandate in New York City and officials administering 60,000 doses in affected communities, helped contain the spread. New York's response was 'an incredible feat and something we're obviously trying to emulate,' Sugerman said. But he noted that the loss of Covid grant money has created 'funding limitations' in Texas. The CDC slashed $11.4 billion in Covid funding last month, some of which helped state health departments respond to disease outbreaks. Each measles case may cost $30,000 to $50,000 to address, which 'adds up quite quickly,' Sugerman said. Many disease experts have also expressed concern that the federal messaging around vaccines could make the outbreak harder to contain. While Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for people to get the measles vaccine, he has also framed vaccination as a personal choice, emphasized unproven treatments like steroids or antibiotics and falsely claimed that immunity from measles vaccines wanes quickly. Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician who treats patients in Lubbock and Gaines County, said at a press conference in April that misinformation was the 'biggest nemesis' for healthcare providers. She was aware of some patients taking vitamin A instead of getting vaccinated, she said. Kennedy has played up the role of vitamin A in helping measles patients, though it's unclear how beneficial it is. The CDC says vitamin A can be administered under the supervision of a healthcare provider, but it's not a treatment for the disease. 'Countering the misinformation put out there about using vitamin A for treatment of measles has been a struggle, an upward struggle,' Montanez said. By contrast, two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles and offer lifelong protection. The virus is particularly dangerous for babies and young children, whose immune systems aren't always developed enough to fight an infection. In Texas, officials recommended an early dose for babies ages 6 to 11 months. Unvaccinated children over 12 months old should get one dose, according to the state, then a second dose 28 days later. Measles often starts with a high fever, cough, runny nose and pink or watery eyes. From there, people may develop white spots on the insides of the cheeks near the molars and a blotchy rash of flat, red spots. Severe cases can progress to pneumonia or swelling of the brain. Roughly 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to the CDC.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Half of US states have reported measles cases this year
Half of states in the US are now reporting measles cases, with the national total surpassing 800 cases so far this year, according to a CNN tally. Most of the cases are concentrated in a multistate outbreak involving Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas that reached 709 cases Friday, according to state health department updates. Texas has reported 597 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 63 cases, and Oklahoma reported 12 cases – nine confirmed and three probable – as of Friday. New Mexico and Oklahoma's numbers have stayed the same since Tuesday. Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may be linked to the larger outbreak, have reached 37 as of Wednesday. Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported. The multistate outbreak has put 69 people in the hospital across Texas, New Mexico and Kansas, five more since Tuesday's update. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 85 people have been hospitalized, accounting for 11% of confirmed cases. CDC data shows that only 3% of cases this year have been reported in people who have gotten one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Local health officials are scrambling to increase vaccinations, especially in heavily undervaccinated communities. Clinics in Lubbock, Texas, near the epicenter of the outbreak, just expanded their hours. These Lubbock clinics have administered 450 more doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine than typically would have been given by this time of year, Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock Public Health said this week. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against the measles virus. Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Experts warn that growing case numbers could threaten the country's elimination status if spread of the outbreak continues. 'That … would happen after 12 months of ongoing circulation of the same sequence,' Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the CDC, said Tuesday at a meeting of the agency's vaccine advisers. That date would be around January 20, 2026, he said. Two children in Texas have died in the current multistate outbreak, and a third death in New Mexico is under investigation. They were all unvaccinated. The World Health Organization said that cases in Mexico have also been linked to cases in Texas. Three cases in Colorado are being investigated for connection to the outbreak after two of the people traveled to Mexico. Another case was identified after a Pennsylvania resident traveled to Texas, though it is unclear what part of the state the person visited. In a news release last week, the Arkansas health department said that the second case of measles identified in the state this year was 'exposed during out of state travel,' but no further details were provided. Many cases in other states have been linked to international travel.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The CDC says its tally of US measles cases is likely an undercount
The number of measles cases traced to the West Texas outbreak are likely undercounted, health officials say. Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measles response, told a meeting of the centers' vaccine advisory committee that officials believe there's 'quite a large amount of cases that are not reported and underreported.' 'In working very closely with our colleagues in Texas; in talking with families, they may mention prior cases that have recovered and never received testing, other families that may have cases and never sought treatment,' he said Tuesday. Sugerman also noted that most of the nation's cases have been driven in undervaccinated communities like the Lone Star State's Gaines County. The county accounts for nearly 65 percent of the state's cases. The agency has deployed more than a dozen people to the state, and is sending more this week. 'This reallocation, or what Dr. Sugerman called scraping, is not unique to this outbreak or a direct result of current initiatives to restructure CDC. When outbreaks occur, the agency must reallocate resources from other programs to respond,' the CDC told The Independent on Thursday. Right now, the CDC reports that there are more than 700 cases across the U.S., although it only updates its tally once a week. In Texas, the state's health authorities said Tuesday that there were 561 cases confirmed there since January, as well as 58 hospitalizations over the course of the outbreak. Two unvaccinated children who lived in the outbreak area have died. Measles is prevented by getting doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine that provide decades-long immunity. But, convincing communities to get the vaccine or vaccinate their children has proven to be a major hurdle. Rising vaccine hesitancy has been reported across the nation. 'Parental vaccine hesitancy might be contributing to the low levels of influenza vaccination coverage, due to a higher degree of hesitancy among parents about influenza vaccine compared with other routine childhood vaccines,' researchers said last year in a study published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. While Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has endorsed getting the measles shots, he has also promoted some questionable alternative practices, claimed the vaccines were 'leaky' and said that the vaccines should not be mandated. Experts have warned that casting doubts on vaccines could come with deadly consequences and reverse years of medical progress – especially with measles' continued spread. Sugerman said coverage with the vaccine has been decreasing since the pandemic. 'It is often said that the first responsibility of any government is the safety and protection of its people,' the journal Nature's editorial board said. 'That alone should be reason enough for policymakers to encourage people to get themselves and their children vaccinated. Vaccines save lives, and casting doubt on their safety could have dangerous and far-reaching consequences.'
CNN
18-04-2025
- Health
- CNN
Half of US states have reported measles cases this year
Half of states in the US are now reporting measles cases, with the national total surpassing 800 cases so far this year, according to a CNN tally. Most of the cases are concentrated in a multistate outbreak involving Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas that reached 709 cases Friday, according to state health department updates. Texas has reported 597 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 63 cases, and Oklahoma reported 12 cases – nine confirmed and three probable – as of Friday. New Mexico and Oklahoma's numbers have stayed the same since Tuesday. Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may be linked to the larger outbreak, have reached 37 as of Wednesday. Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported. The multistate outbreak has put 69 people in the hospital across Texas, New Mexico and Kansas, five more since Tuesday's update. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 85 people have been hospitalized, accounting for 11% of confirmed cases. CDC data shows that only 3% of cases this year have been reported in people who have gotten one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Local health officials are scrambling to increase vaccinations, especially in heavily undervaccinated communities. Clinics in Lubbock, Texas, near the epicenter of the outbreak, just expanded their hours. These Lubbock clinics have administered 450 more doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine than typically would have been given by this time of year, Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock Public Health said this week. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against the measles virus. Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Experts warn that growing case numbers could threaten the country's elimination status if spread of the outbreak continues. 'That … would happen after 12 months of ongoing circulation of the same sequence,' Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the CDC, said Tuesday at a meeting of the agency's vaccine advisers. That date would be around January 20, 2026, he said. Two children in Texas have died in the current multistate outbreak, and a third death in New Mexico is under investigation. They were all unvaccinated. The World Health Organization said that cases in Mexico have also been linked to cases in Texas. Three cases in Colorado are being investigated for connection to the outbreak after two of the people traveled to Mexico. Another case was identified after a Pennsylvania resident traveled to Texas, though it is unclear what part of the state the person visited. In a news release last week, the Arkansas health department said that the second case of measles identified in the state this year was 'exposed during out of state travel,' but no further details were provided. Many cases in other states have been linked to international travel.
