A Texas Health Authority warns against “measles celebrations” while the epidemic in western Texas has become At least 146 caseswith 20 hospitalized and A dead child who is not vaccinated dead. The epidemic continues to be mainly in non -vaccinated children.
In a press briefing organized by the city of Lubbock, Texas, Friday, Ron Cook, director of health of Texas Tech University Health Center in Lubbock, offered a striking warning to the Texans in its openings.
“What I want you to hear is: it is not good to go and have a measle parties because what can happen is – we cannot predict that will hurt with measles, be hospitalized, potentially obtain pneumonia or encephalitis and / or go,” said Cook. “It is therefore a stupid idea of going to have a festival of measles. The best thing to do is make sure you are well vaccinated. »»
Lubbock is around 90 miles northwest of the epidemic epidery In the county of sheathswhich is one of the least vaccinated counties of the state. He recorded 98 of the 146 cases of the epidemic. While Lubbock pointed out only two of the 146 cases, the patients were treated in Lubbock. This includes the first two cases of the epidemic as well as the deceased child of the infection earlier this week, which was not a resident of Lubbock.
We do not know if parts of measles occur in sheaths or elsewhere. “Above all, this has … speeches on social networks,” said Cook in response to a question of monitoring the ARS. He noted that the parts of measles and parts of chickenpox were more common practices decades ago, before the vaccines for both diseases were available. But he has warned of dangers again today. “Please don’t do that.” It’s just madness; He plays roulette, “he said.
Cook, with Lubbock’s public health director Katherine Wells said they saw no end in sight for the epidemic, which is now extending nine counties in Texas, many of whom have low vaccination rates. “This epidemic will continue to grow,” said Wells, refusing to plan how much the counting of the final cases could go after a journalist has increased the possibility of several hundred.
Until now, 116 of the 146 cases have under the age of 18, 46 being 4 or less. Only five of the 146 were vaccinated with at least one dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR).
Messaging
On a more positive note, Wells pointed out that the epidemic seemed to influence certain vaccine hesitant parents to have their children vaccinated. Yesterday in Lubbock, more than 50 children came to the city clinic for measles vaccines. Eleven of these children had exemptions from vaccines, which means that their parents had already followed the state process to exempt their child from receiving infant routine vaccines to go to school. “Which is a very good sign; This means that our message is released, ”said Wells.
Until now, in the epidemic, which has broken out at the end of January, messaging on the disease and the importance of vaccination come exclusively from state authorities and local authorities. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are only released A brief declaration Late Thursday, which was not sent via the agency’s press distribution list. However, he noted that “vaccination remains the best defense against measles infection”.
During a meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday, the Secretary of the United States of Health and Anti-Vaccin defender, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., answered a question on the epidemic, offering a variety of inaccurate information. Kennedy minimized the epidemic, wrongly affirming that “it is not unusual”. In fact, it is an unusual year for measles in the United States. As epidemiologist Katelyn Jettelina noted it on Bluesky, the number of American measles cases this year has already exceeded the total number of cases of eight of the previous 15 years. And it’s only February.
