"The Talk of the Town"
(SALT LAKE CITY) — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill making the state the first in the nation to ban fluoride in drinking water.
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(GAINES COUNTY, Texas) — The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 259, with 36 cases reported over the last three days, according to new data released Friday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown. Two cases have occurred in persons vaccinated with two doses, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Breakthrough infections, when a vaccinated person is infected are rare, as the measles vaccine provides up to 97% protection after 2 doses.
At least 34 people have been hospitalized so far.
In the Texas outbreak, children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, with 115, followed by children ages 4 and under comprising 86 cases, according to the data.
DSHS said in its update that it expects more cases to be confirmed in the area and in surrounding communities.
Two likely measles deaths have been reported so far in the U.S. One is a confirmed death associated with measles, while the other has been definitively linked to the measles virus but the cause of death officially remains under investigation.
The first reported death was an unvaccinated school-aged child in Texas, according to the DSHS. The child did not have any known underlying conditions, according to the department.
The Texas death was the first measles death recorded in the U.S. in a decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another probable measles death was recorded last week after an unvaccinated New Mexico resident tested positive for the virus.
Gaines County is the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, with 174 cases confirmed among residents, according to the DSHS. State health data shows the number of vaccine exemptions in Gaines County has grown dramatically in the last dozen years.
In 2013, roughly 7.5% of kindergartners in the county had parents or guardians who filed for an exemption for at least one vaccine. Ten years later, that number rose to more than 17.5% – one of the highest in all of Texas, according to state health data.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed hundreds of cases in at least 12 states so far this year, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington
The majority of nationally confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Of those cases, 4% are among those who received just one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) inoculation and 2% are among those who received the required two doses, according to the CDC.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
ABC News Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(GAINES COUNTY, Texas) — The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 198, with 40 cases reported over the last three days, according to new data released Friday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, with 80 unvaccinated and 113 of unknown status. At least 23 people have been hospitalized so far, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Just five cases have occurred in people vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, followed by children ages 4 and under.
So far just one death has been reported in an unvaccinated school-aged child, according to DSHS. The child did not have any known underlying conditions, according to the department.
The Texas death was the first measles death recorded in the U.S. in a decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A possible second measles death was recorded on Thursday after an unvaccinated New Mexico resident tested positive for the virus. The New Mexico Department of Health said the official cause of death is still under investigation.
Gaines County is the epicenter of the outbreak, with 137 cases confirmed among residents, according to DSHS. More than 90% of cases have been identified in just six counties, which account for less than 1% of the state’s total population, the department said.
State health data shows the number of vaccine exemptions in Gaines County have grown dramatically.
Roughly 7.5% of kindergarteners in the county 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.
The CDC has separately confirmed 164 cases in nine states so far this year in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Texas.
The total, however, is likely an undercount due to delays in reporting from states to the federal government.
The majority of nationally confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Of the cases, 3% are among those who received one dose of the MMR shot and 2% are among those who received two doses.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.
Texas health officials are recommending — for those living in the outbreak area — that parents consider an early dose of MMR vaccine for children between ages 6 months and 11 months and that adults receive a second MMR dose if they only received one in the past.
Earlier this week, the CDC said in a post on X that it was on the ground in Texas, partnering with DSHS officials to respond to the measles outbreak.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) appears to have taken down a webpage from the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) that included an advisory on gun violence.
In June 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring gun violence to be a public health crisis in America, calling for an evidence-based approach to public health change as well as a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use.
“Firearm violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, unimaginable pain, and profound grief for far too many Americans,” Murthy said in a statement at the time.
The OSG issued a press release at the time showing that at least 10 national medical organizations — including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Public Health Association and the YWCA — wrote statements in support of the advisory.
However, the webpage where the advisory existed currently displays a “Page Not Found” message.
“We’re sorry, but there is no www.hhs.gov page that matches your entry. Possible reasons: The page may have been moved, it no longer exists, or the address may have been typed incorrectly,” the website states, as of Monday.
The White House did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.
In a statement to ABC News, the HHS said that the department “and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights.”
Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, directing the Attorney General to review “[a]ll Presidential and agencies’ actions from January 2021 through January 2025 that purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously stated he believes in the Second Amendment but that he wants to determine the cause of mass shootings.
In a 2023 live stream on X with Elon Musk, Kennedy falsely claimed there is “tremendous circumstantial evidence” that people using antidepressants were more likely to commit school shootings. Experts previously told ABC News there is no evidence to suggest that patients with mental health disorders, or those who are on medications for disorders, are more likely to be violent.
Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death in the U.S. among kids and teens. Gun-related suicides have risen among all age groups from 2012 to 2022; the greatest rise has been among 10–14-year-olds, according to Murhty’s advisory.
Gun violence prevention programs, such as GIFFORDS — which was founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — criticized the Trump administration for the removal of the advisory.
“By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families,” Emma Brown, executive director of GIFFORDS, said in a statement. “Guns have been the number one killer of American children and adolescents since 2020, and non-partisan health care experts have understood gun violence as a public health crisis for years.”
ABC News’ Medical Unit’s Dr. Jade Cobern contributed to this report.
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