NM Delegation urges new Health Secretary Kennedy to address measles outbreak

The child’s cheek shows the characteristic rash associated with measles.

By: Danielle Prokop
NM Source

Nine people remain infected with measles in Lea County, but their conditions remain stable, with local health officials reporting no deaths or hospitalizations in New Mexico. Four of the cases are children between the ages of 5 and 17 years old, the remaining five are adults.
New Mexico Department of Health Communications Director Robert Nott said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking part in the state’s daily meetings on the outbreak, which NMDOH declared on Feb. 14.

“Our relationship with the CDC remains productive, with regular communication between our vaccine team and CDC officials regarding the measles outbreak and vaccinations,” Nott said in a phone call.

Any additional cases detected will be published on the state’s website, Nott said.
The current outbreak spilled over from neighboring Gaines County, Texas in recent weeks. As of Wednesday, the number of measles cases had risen to 124, spread across nine Texas counties, most of them children. One school-aged child has died, the first child death from measles since 2015.

On Wednesday, New Mexico’s congressional delegation called on newly appointed Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to address the crisis.
In a letter, the delegation urged Kennedy to continue issuing data each week on measles cases nationwide, launch a vaccination campaign and reinstate two dozen CDC workers fired last week in the widespread, ongoing cuts.

“Preventing and mitigating outbreaks is only possible through effective disease tracking and communication, an adequate workforce, and vaccination,” the letter stated.

Kennedy, an outspoken anti-vaccine advocate, who has repeated the untrue claim that childhood vaccines cause autism, downplayed the current outbreaks in statements Wednesday.

“There have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country, last year there were 16, so it’s not unusual,” Kennedy told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House. “We have measles outbreaks every year.”

Gaines County only has a childhood vaccination rate of 82%, below the CDC’s recommendation of 95% to prevent outbreaks. Lea County has a higher childhood vaccination rate — more than 94% of children ages 0 to 18.

Prior to the vaccines, the CDC estimated that nearly all children were infected with the measles before age 15, resulting in more than 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths each year.
The first measles vaccines were developed in the 1960s; by the 2000s, the disease was considered extinct in the U.S.

What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious virus spread through contact from an infected person’s coughs and sneezes.

Measles symptoms can appear anywhere from a week to three weeks after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a red spotty rash starting on the head and face and spreading over the body. Serious complications can develop, including brain swelling, blindness, pneumonia and death.

The vaccine is highly effective, with adults vaccinated as children having enough immunity to last a lifetime, according to health officials.
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NMDOH is offering free vaccine clinics in Lea County, and encouraging people to check their vaccinations status. Find more information online.