Susan Furth, MD, PhD Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Susan Furth, MD, PhD Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
A measles outbreak in Texas has resulted in over 146 cases and one death by the end of February, as reported by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. Most affected individuals were either unvaccinated or had unverifiable vaccination statuses, with nearly two dozen hospitalized.
In addition to Texas, at least nine other states and New York City have reported measles cases as of early March. These states include Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.
Two critical points are highlighted:
"Due to circumstances related to executive orders and changes at the level of the federal government," updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been intermittent. This means that citizens and media may not fully understand the threat's scope.
Furthermore, "because many healthcare providers, particularly younger providers," lack experience diagnosing measles, actual case numbers might be higher than those reported by state and local health departments.
To protect against measles effectively, it is advised that everyone ensures their vaccinations are up-to-date. For children over one year old, two doses are recommended with a second dose between four to six years old. Most adults without immunity evidence should receive one dose. Immunity can be evidenced by birth before 1957 or documented receipt of MMR vaccine or laboratory infection evidence. Healthcare workers should typically receive two doses separated by four weeks if lacking documentation or laboratory evidence of previous infection.
For more information on measles and vaccines:
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): The Diseases and Vaccines webpage
- Measles: What You Should Know Q&A available in English and Spanish
- Rash Information webpage includes a measles image
- Videos on Measles infections
In a recent video from February 2025 discussing vaccines in news contexts, Dr. Paul Offit from VEC shared insights into generational perspectives on vaccines. He explained how concerns differed between his grandparents' time compared to when he was making decisions for his children due to advancements made through vaccinations. He also discussed training experiences before Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine availability.
This video provides thought-provoking content on vaccine progress over generations.
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