In rural West Texas, a measles outbreak grows with no end in sight
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • one week ago • 76 commentsBy: Erika Edwards, Sara G. Miller and Jason Kane
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Erika Edwards, Sara G. Miller and Jason Kane
SEMINOLE, Texas — When Aganetha Unger pulled up her large, white van to the emergency measles testing site, several of her eight children were coughing.
"We had some sickness in the house, not very bad, but some fever, some cough," said Unger, who is Mennonite. One child, she said, had a fever of 103 degrees.
Her youngest getting tested was a 2-month-old, wrapped tightly in a pink blanket on her mom's lap. When the EMS team swabbed her nose, she didn't cry.
It was Thursday, eight days after the Texas Department of State Health Services first reported a measles outbreak on the rural, western edge of the state.
On Friday, the number of confirmed cases rose to 49, up from 24 earlier in the week, the state health department said. The majority of those cases are in Gaines County, which borders New Mexico.
Most cases are in school-age kids, and 13 have been hospitalized. All are unvaccinated against measles, which is one of the most contagious viruses in the world.
The latest measles case count likely represents a fraction of the true number of infections. Health officials — who are scrambling to get a handle on the vaccine-preventable outbreak — suspect 200 to 300 people in West Texas are infected but untested, and therefore not part of the state's official tally so far.
The fast-moving outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has long sown distrust about childhood vaccines, and in particular, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, falselylinking it to autism.
During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy said he was not anti-vaccine. "I am pro-safety," he said. "All of my kids are vaccinated, and I believe vaccines have a critical role in health care."
HHS did not respond to a request for comment from Kennedy about the outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can only send in its experts to assist if the state requests help. So far, Texas has not done so, the CDC said.
The CDC has sent approximately 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine to Texas health officials at their request. However, most doses so far are being accepted by partially vaccinated kids to boost their immunity, rather than the unvaccinated.
Without widespread vaccination, experts say, the outbreak could go on for months.
Measles epicenter
The city of Seminole is the seat of Gaines County, Texas, and the epicenter of the current measles outbreak. It's located in a vast, flat region filled with ranchers and peanut and cotton farmers.
There's also a large Mennonite population, a religious sect that believes in "total separation from the outside world," according to the Texas State Historical Association. These Mennonites chose to settle in Gaines County, in part, for its lack of regulation on private schools. This includes vaccine mandates.
As of the 2023-24 school year, Gaines County had one of the state's highest vaccine exemption rates, at nearly 18%, according to health department data.
A woman and a young girl from the Mennonite community get tested for the measles at a mobile testing site in Seminole, Texas. It takes at least 48 hours for results to come back.NBC News
"We have a high, high number of unvaccinated," said Tonya Guffey, the chief nursing officer at Seminole District Hospital. "It's not that they're not educated. It's just what their belief is."
Guffey noted that many of the unvaccinated people in the area were Mennonite. "We educate, we encourage, we do what we can for the community, but it's their choice," she said.
The pandemic also appears to have driven down vaccination rates.
"We have some outside of that group of people that are unvaccinated, and the Covid vaccine did play a part in that," Guffey said.
Guffey, who was born and raised in Gaines County, has been in health care for over 30 years and said she's never seen a measles outbreak before. Still, she wasn't surprised by the size of the outbreak currently spreading across the county.
"With the large population of unvaccinated that we have," Guffey said, "it's not out of the numbers that you would expect."
'Hub' city concerns
Measles cases were limited to rural areas surrounding Lubbock, Texas, the largest city in the region, until Friday afternoon, when Lubbock Public Health confirmed its first case.
The "hub" city, as it's nicknamed, is where all of the big grocery and big box stores are.
People who live in Gaines County regularly head into Lubbock to shop and do other business. That includes a large number of unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to measles.
"Communities who don't vaccinate are not necessarily isolated to their area. They commute to Lubbock," said Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician at Texas Tech Physicians in Lubbock. "By doing that, they're taking the disease with them."
Several of Montanez's young patients were exposed recently, she said, one just by sitting in the same clinic waiting room with another child who was later confirmed to have measles. That child had traveled from another county for care.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed for virtually full protection against the virus. The first is given at around age 1, but the second isn't given until around age 5. That leaves kids slightly vulnerable for the several years that they are in between doses.
Doctors have the option of giving the second dose early, however, if a child has been exposed to the virus. That's what Montanez has done for a few of her vulnerable patients. She also continues to counsel families who aren't vaccinating their children about the benefits of the shots.
Young and vulnerable
The growing outbreak is worrisome to Carina Perez and her husband, Ben Ham, who are caring for a foster child they affectionately call "Muffin."
As the measles outbreak spreads in the Lubbock area, Carina Perez and her husband worry for the safety of their foster daughter, who has reactive airway disease, which makes her highly susceptible to any airborne viruses.NBC News
The 18-month-old girl has only been eligible for the firstdose of the MMR vaccine so far. She was also born with several health problems, including reactive airway disease, which makes it hard to breathe if she catches any kind of respiratory virus.
Muffin has been admitted to the intensive care unit three times in her young life so far because of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and even the common cold.
"The smallest triggers get her pretty sick," Perez said. "We have to be very cautious about being out in public."
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he fact that these (or any children) are not vaccinated against MMR is in my opinion totally the responsibility of the parents and in my view represents willful neglect.
I understand and respect the religious views of the people involved, but they should be excluded from public schools and other public facilities until and of they are vaccinated.
Harsh - sure, but choices have consequences.
Does the same go for immigrants who are unvaccinated?
It should. Part of the underlying agreement on immigrating to a new country is to align oneself with the laws and standards of the new country.
For the following ailments, yes.
Now you touched on it. For a country which had all but eradicated measles, where, oh where did this outbreak come from?
Anyone?
Fron Texas Vic, it is spreading from Texas!
Did it originate in Texas?
Last year:
As of the 13th week of the year, Mexico has reported 859 probable cases of measles or rubella which are still being analyzed.
Measles cases in Mexico are on the rise
Maybe we shouldn't have had an open border for 4 years.
From all the 'savages' in your lexicon.
How many illegals that came across showed their vaccination records that they had vaccine against measles.
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Yes Vic, this outbreak originated with a bunch of unvaccinated kids in Texas!
JBB, they were exposed to something that had all but been eradicated in America.
You may not like to hear that, but that is what happened.
Seems like, to the leftists, those millions of illegals just up and vanished into thin air and there are now zero of them in Texas, so you can't blame them.
... what with Lubbock being run by republicans for just about ever, go figure. But hey, Lubbock is also a sanctuary city for the unborn, so go figure again.
You bet. This is more about what Biden did, than what RFK Jr might do. It is tragic when you think about it. Looking back on it, Obama and Biden had the same radicals around them. Evidently Obama was able to restrain them a bit.
And it showed up in a county that's had a massive growth in latinos since 2010. Crazy.
Are you denying that Biden allowed millions of unvetted and unvaxxed illegals into the US for years.
And then dispersed them all over the country.
The things that NBC News missed.
... and then along came the anti-vax crowd, a mixture of dumb and dumber from the entire blue-red political spectrum.
It's a wonder we aren't battling TB.
Weak deflection noted.
I keep expecting something better.
I keep expecting something worse from you and am rarely if ever disappointed. Today is no exception.
There is a portion of reality that some progressives just can't fathom. Immigrants not being perfect, particularly the progressive version of perfect, is one of their massive blind spots.
HEHEHE, kinda like those 10 million voters they were suppose to have to win the last presidential election with , disappeared like a fart in the wind to quote the warden of Shawshank .
Does it matter? If all the children in Texas who are here legally were properly vaccinated, none of them would have Measles. So unless you’re going to claim that every sick child in Texas is here illegally, it really doesn’t matter where it came from. What matters is that morons aren’t vaccinating their kids.
American citizens can travel the world and bring home disease without illegal immigration being a factor. It’s super easy if you’re not vaccinated.
They are, in Kansas.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
After 15 years? Crazy.
In 2019 during Trump's first term, there were Measels reported in 31 states. That's not eradicated.
What did Trump do about it?
Let's see if Kennedy is strong willed enough to force white people to get vaccinated or if the problem in Gaines
is just a hint of things to come.
Measles has never been eradicated in the US but has been kept from spreading due to nearly universal vaccinations...
What makes you think that immigrants have a weaker (or stronger) immune system than non-immigrants?
And while we'r eat-- do you think vaccination should be required for "Whites"? How about "Blacks"?
Should vaccination be required for Spanish speakers? How about people who can't speak Spanish?
I thought you'd never ask!
Top 10 countries with measles outbreaks
Source: World Health Organization
Country
Number of Cases
Pakistan
7,148
Thailand
6,852
India
6,203
Yemen
5,000
Ethiopia
4,724
Afghanistan
3,999
Indonesia
2,873
Russian Federation
2,090
Kyrgyzstan
1,890
Viet Nam
1,837
I thought you'd never ask!
Top 10 countries with measles outbreaks
Actually I think there's something suspicious sounding about the name "Kyrgyzstan". I bet that's a phony name made up bu people with nefarious goals who are hiding their true identity! That's obviously where all the measles are coming from!
Immigrants! Yes-- all those immigrants from Kyrgyzstan . . Kytgyzstani immigrants . . . sneaky little buggers!
We should send Borat to investigate...wait, I have a bettter idea-- let's send everyone's favourite fixer-- President elect Elon Musk!
Well, you know how liberal those Texas politicians are-- I'd be will to bet they'd let anyone through the border-- no questions asked. And most of the people the Texas government is letting in are...Mexicans!
If something has "all but been eradicated" that means it still exists!
Well. immigration is one of President Trump's talking points-- another is tarIFFS. So we've started to discuss immigration -- how about tariffs?
Why not also discuss whether or not there is any correlation between their tariffs-- and their rate of Measles?
Or-- a better idea! Let's put higher tariffs on countries that have higher rates of Measles!
What a brilliant idea!
Interesting that none of those countries are Mexico or any Central or South American country.
That’s quite a reach from the comment I made but to answer your question I doubt it. If you really want to be sure though I suggest you contact all of their doctors to find out as well as all non immigrants doctors for comparison.
Again, how do you come up with a comment like that? Crazy
Now I can only assume you were under the influence when you made this trifecta of ridiculous responses to my comment
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I suppose the use of sarcasm online is often not fully understood . . .
I generally try to avoid sarczasm-- but sometimes it really assissts in communicating! Should I persist in using it-- or explain more?
( What does the research show?
)
lol …. Alrighty then ….
Mennonites don't typically send their kids to public schools.
From above
they should be excluded from public schools and other public facilities until and of they are vaccinated.
Well you can't really put them on house arrest. It's not Germany or England.
It's not like they'll be swimming in the public pool anytime soon.
Morning...here Aussie kids have to present an immunisation statement when starting child care/school..even if they aren't immunised...
So if there is an outbreak, that particular child has to stay home if they have not been vaccinated..
Also if they are immunised the parents get tax breaks and subsidies..so it's in their interests and benefits to get their kids vaccinated..
It works very well here and measles, chicken pox etc out breaks are very rare...
Maybe that's the answer here - a carrot, instead of a stick.
I remember when I was a little kid first starting Kindergarten. I had to have several different vaccinations.
As I later found out-- if the parents couldn't provide proof of the kid having the required vaccinations-- they had to stay home until they did!
This may come as a shock to you-- but its possible to set rules that are requirements for admission-- and believe it or not its been effectively applied in many places in America without people under house arrest!
Although IIRC no one was put under house arrest (as suggested in comment # 1.2.1, above )
but they could be at malls, restaurants etc spreading the disease without regard to the welfare of the general public.
People can be quarantined in the U.S.
shona
Sounds like a good approach to a big problem
They are very rare here, too, which is why this story made the news.
The overwhelming majority of American kids are vaccinated. There are small groups of extremely religious people who choose not to vaccinate their kids. It's almost never an issue because there aren't enough of them to matter.
This is happening in a remote area where a large part of the population are Mennonites. They are not going to vaccinate their kids for any amount of incentive and probably not for any amount of punishment. It's a religious thing.
Morning..it seems to work well here so must be doing something right..
Also I highly recommend any one over 50 getting the shingles vaccine..
I had no idea one was available and I have had shingles twice now...and still have problems from it and that's been ongoing for 4 years now..
At the time it cost $530 then two months after that the government announced it was now free...
I didn't care about the $$ as I never want that damn thing back again...it truly is the pits of a disease...
I just got my second shingles shot a week ago. For us here in the US, it's free if we have health insurance and are 50 or over.
My arm was swollen and red like I'd had a bee sting, but that's way better than getting shingles.
I hope you shake the effects of your bout with shingles soon.
I had the same reaction. It has been two years and that spot on my arm is still itchy. My neighbor lady got shingles a few years ago and suffered unimaginably.
I don't. They are willfully putting you, me and mine at risk because of religious brain washing.
The irony are the one's who refuse to vaccinate but wear masks...
Force girls to bear children and then neglect to vaccinate them. Yaaay Texas!!!
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I call it knowing when to shut up.
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It is the parents that are not getting the children vaccinated, not the state of Texas
You missed the point.
Texas law forbids abortions.
In 2022 Texas law also prohibits any business from forcing people to wear masks or be vaccinated.
While declaring themselves to being pro liberty and any vaccine mandates unconstitutional, Texas want it both ways.
Recent events have Republicans sponsoring 20 new bills to weaken vaccine enforcement.
As Pogo has "said", we have met the enemy ....
A flurry of bills filed to weaken Texas’ vaccine mandates | The Texas Tribune
Recent events have Republicans sponsoring 20 new bills to weaken vaccine enforcement.
As Pogo has "said", we have met the enemy ....
A flurry of bills filed to weaken Texas’ vaccine mandates | The Texas Tribune
That is sooo f*cked up . . .
Vaccine exemptions among children in Gaines County -- the epicenter of the outbreak -- have grown dramatically in the past few years. Roughly 7.5% of kindergarteners had parents or guardians who filed for an exemption for at least one vaccine in 2013. Ten years later, that number rose to more than 17.5% -- one of the highest in all of Texas, according to state health data.
I wonder-- how many people can one child with Measles infect?
Has the population grown at a similar rate?
No worries, we have Mr. Measles himself in charge now and he can fall back on the hella job he did in American Samoa a few years ago.
5,000 cases, 83 deaths 80% of ther deaths were under 5 years old. We don’t need no stinkin’ vaccine.
We finally found our voices.
Whoa-- wait a minute!
Who are you accusing of not speaking up 'til now?
Every child that dies because they were unvaxed should come with a negligence homicide charge to their parents.
It is strange that many of those against vaccinations are also against abortions.
ironic.
There's an olde saying:
There's no cure for "Stuck on stupid"
What does baby daddy immigrant King Pimp Elon say? Or should they just drink bleach like his his #1 bottom "garden tool" Orange Baby said a few years back. Or maybe they should ask the Pimp's minion "Blue Balls"?
Let's end vaccination. That'll be great for public health.