Texas measles cases grow to 223, mostly among children and teens
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(AUSTIN, Texas) — The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow with 25 cases confirmed over the last five days, bringing the total to 223 cases, according to new data published Tuesday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, with 80 unvaccinated and 138 of unknown status, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). At least 29 people have been hospitalized so far.
Just five cases have occurred in people vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the data.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Kansas is facing the largest recorded tuberculosis outbreak in U.S. history, according to local health officials.
As of Jan. 24, there have been 67 confirmed cases of active TB including 60 in Wyandotte County and seven in Johnson County, according to the Kanas Department of Health and Environment.
Additionally, there are 79 confirmed latent TB cases, including 77 in Wyandotte County and two in Johnson County. Wyandotte County contains part of Kansas City and Johnson County is just southwest of Kansas City.
Cases linked to the outbreak were first reported in January 2024, according to KDHE. So far, there have been two deaths related to the outbreak, both of which occurred last year.
“The current Kansas City, Kan. Metro tuberculosis (TB) outbreak is the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history, presently (since the 1950s, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started monitoring and reporting TB cases),” KDHE said in a statement. “This outbreak is still ongoing, which means that there could be more cases.”
Health officials say the risk to people living in surrounding counties and to the general public is “very low,” and that the department is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TB is a disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the CDC. It is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, the federal health agency says.
TB is spread in the air from one person to another. When a person with TB coughs, speaks or sings, germs are expelled into the air — where they can linger for several hours — before another person breathes in the air and becomes infected.
Signs and symptoms include a cough that lasts for three weeks or longer, coughing up blood or phlegm, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, chills and night sweats, according to the CDC.
Some people become infected with TB germs that live in the body for years without causing illness. This is known as inactive TB or latent TB.
People with inactive TB do not feel ill, do not have symptoms and cannot spread germs to other people, the CDC says. However, without receiving treatment, people with inactive TB can develop active TB.
Last year, the U.S. saw more than 8,700 cases of TB, according to CDC data. Although TB cases have been steadily declining since the mid 1990s, rates increased in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with 2023 matching pre-pandemic levels.
There are several treatment regimens for TB disease that may last anywhere from four months to nine months depending on the course of treatment. Health care providers may consider specific regimens for patients with co-existing medical conditions such as diabetes or HIV.
A vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is commonly given to children in countries where TB is common, although it is generally not recommended in the U.S. due to the low risk of infection with the bacteria, variable vaccine effectiveness among adults, and the vaccine’s potential interference with TB tests, the CDC notes. The BCG vaccine often leaves a scar where the recipient was given the shot.
(NEW YORK) — Federal health officials have begun collecting samples of aged raw cow’s milk cheese across the U.S. to test for bird flu, the Food and Drug Administration announced.
Sample collection started at the end of this month and is expected to be completed by the end of March 2025, the FDA said Monday. If needed, the agency said it will extend the collection period.
It comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal order earlier this month that raw milk samples nationwide would be collected and shared with the agency to be tested for bird flu.
The FDA said it plans to collect 300 samples of raw cow’s milk cheese that has been aged for at least 60 days from warehouses and distribution centers across the country.
Samples will be tested with a PCR test, which looks for genetic material from the virus, and will be completed within one week of collection, according to the FDA. Samples that indicate the presence of the virus will undergo viability testing.
Viability testing will be done by injecting part of the virus into an embryonated egg and analyzing if it grows or multiplies.
Raw milk cheese is made with unpasteurized milk. In the U.S., cheese can be made from raw milk but must be aged a minimum of 60 days to lessen the risk of any pathogens that may be present, per the FDA.
Samples that test positive for viable virus will be “evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” the FDA said, and the agency may issue actions “such as a recall, follow-up inspection or other possible responses to protect public health.”
The FDA has previously warned of the dangers of drinking raw milk, which does not undergo pasteurization — a process that kills viruses and bacteria. The agency currently considers unpasteurized soft and hard cheeses, as well as other products made from unpasteurized milk, a “high-risk choice.”
Past studies from federal health officials have shown that pasteurization effectively kills the bird flu virus. Nearly all, or 99%, of the commercial milk supply produced on dairy farms in the U.S. follows a national pasteurization program.
Pasteurization has been a practice in the U.S. for more than 100 years and kills harmful bacteria and viruses by heating milk to a specific temperature over time, the FDA notes.
The U.S. has been facing an outbreak of bird flu, or avian influenza, since April, when the first human case was reported.
Almost all confirmed cases have had direct contact with infected cattle or infected livestock. Most bird flu cases in the U.S. have been mild, and patients have typically recovered after receiving antiviral medication.
(NEW YORK) — Flu activity remains “elevated” in the United States but is starting to show signs of abating, according to new federal data published Friday.
The 2024-25 flu season was classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a “high” severity season overall and for all age groups, making it the first high severity season since 2017-2018.
During the week ending Feb. 15, 6.8% of visits to doctors’ offices were for flu-like illness, down from 7.7% of visits over the previous two weeks, CDC data shows.
Emergency department visits for flu also fell to 6.4% during the week ending Feb. 15 from more than 8% for the two weeks prior.
Additionally, 26.9% of tests came back positive for flu during the week ending Feb. 15. This is higher than the peak of 18.2% last flu season but lower than the 31.4% recorded over the previous two weeks.
The CDC estimates there have been at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season
At least 86 pediatric flu deaths have been recorded so far, with 18 reported the week ending Feb. 15.
It comes as overall respiratory illness activity is listed as “high” nationwide, CDC data shows.
As of Friday, nine states are listed as having “very high” levels of respiratory virus activity and 14 states are listed as “high.” The remaining states are listed as having “moderate” or “low” levels.
Comparatively, 12 states were listed as “very high” and 20 states were listed as “high” last week.
Meanwhile, although COVID-19 activity is “elevated” in many areas of the U.S., CDC data shows emergency department visits are at low levels and the number of laboratory tests coming back positive is stable.
Respiratory syncytial virus activity was also described as “elevated” but declining in most areas of the U.S., according to the CDC.
Public health experts have recommended children and adults receive the flu and COVID vaccine as well as older adults receive the RSV vaccine, but coverage is “low,” according to the CDC.
As of Feb 8, only 45.3% of adults were vaccinated against the flu and 23,1% were vaccinated with the updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, just 46.7% of adults ages 75 and older have received the RSV vaccine, according to CDC data.
Nearly half of all children are vaccinated against the flu at 45.8%, but just 12.1% have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine.
