Stop the spread through vaccination!
Although the cause of death is still under investigation,
officials with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said their lab had
confirmed the presence of the measles virus in the Lea County resident, who did
not seek medical treatment before passing.
The case is part of New Mexico's growing measles outbreak,
which is now up to 30 cases, NMDOH officials reported today. All the cases have
been in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas—the center of that
state's ongoing measles outbreak.
NMDOH officials urged residents to get vaccinated to ensure
protection against the highly contagious virus.
"We don’t want to see New Mexicans getting sick or
dying from measles," Chad Smelser, MD, NMDOH deputy state epidemiologist,
said in a press release.
"The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best protection against
this serious disease."
Texas outbreak up to 198 cases
Meanwhile, the measles outbreak in west Texas, which began
in late January, continues to grow. Officials with the Texas Department of
State Health Services (DSHS) said today in an update that the
nine-county outbreak is now at 198 cases, with 137 in Gaines County.
Twenty-three of the case-patients have been hospitalized,
with one death reported in an unvaccinated school-age child. It was the first
US measles death since 2015.
Of the cases, 80 are unvaccinated and 113 have unknown
vaccination status, and 153 have been in children under 18 years. Gaines County
has one of the highest rates of
school-aged children in Texas who have opted out of at least one vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this week that its investigators were partnering with the DSHS to respond to the measles outbreak. A CDC update today puts reported US measles cases for the year at 222 as of March 6, with three outbreaks (defined as 3 cases or more). A total of 285 US measles cases were reported in all of 2024.
This year's cases have occurred in 12 states, and 94% have
been in people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.
In a Health Alert Network advisory today,
the CDC said more cases are expected in the rapidly growing outbreaks in Texas
and New Mexico. The agency also said that, with spring and summer travel season
under way, healthcare professionals should be vigilant for cases of febrile
rash that meet the measles definition and should ensure that patients planning
international travel are up to date on MMR vaccine.
Spotlight on HHS Secretary
The outbreak is putting a spotlight on new Department of
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine
critic who has promoted the debunked theory that the MMR vaccine is linked to
the rise in autism diagnoses. Despite the existence of numerous studies that
have found no such association, Reuters reports today that
the CDC is planning a large study on vaccines and autism.
Although Kennedy said in an opinion piece on
the Fox News website that vaccines protect children from measles and contribute
to community immunity, he also said the decision to vaccinate is a personal
one, that improved sanitation and nutrition prior to introduction of the MMR
vaccine in 1960 were responsible for most of the reductions in measles deaths,
and that good nutrition "remains a best defense against most chronic and
infectious illnesses."
In contrast, communication from both Texas and New Mexico
health officials has emphasized that vaccination is the best way to prevent
measles.
In a subsequent interview, Kennedy
also promoted the benefits of vitamin A for treating measles, which has no
specific antiviral treatment. A health alert from the NMDOH
notes that while vitamin A may be administered in children and infants who have
severe measles as part of supportive management, it will not prevent infection
and should not be given prophylactically.
Vaccination first line of defense
During a media briefing held today by the Infectious
Diseases Society of America, public health officials from New York and Missouri
addressed the Texas outbreak and some of Kennedy's comments.
"We in the infectious disease and medical community
know that measles vaccination is our first line of defense against measles in
children and adults, and we strongly encourage vaccinations," said Dial
Hewlett, MD, of the Westchester County Department of Health. "That's not
to say that sanitation is not important; it's just to say that the vaccine is
the most important thing as far as preventing the occurrence of measles in an
outbreak."
Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, director of health for the City
of St. Louis, said vitamin A is not a replacement for the MMR vaccine. She
explained that while vitamin A supplementation has been shown to reduce measles
mortality in malnourished populations in resource-limited countries, where
vitamin A deficiencies are common, the benefits in well-nourished populations
are unclear.
We in the infectious disease and medical community know that
measles vaccination is our first line of defense against measles in children
and adults, and we strongly encourage vaccinations.
Davis also noted that high-dose vitamin A therapy carries
safety risks, including liver damage and increased intracranial pressure.
"While vitamin A may support treatment in severe cases,
it does not stop the spread of measles or provide long-term protection,"
she said. "Only vaccination can do that."
