vaccinations

There were no new measles outbreak cases to report in Texas in the last week, and the number of counties on the Texas active outbreak list has dropped to two.

Texas added seven new confirmed measles cases linked to the outbreak total this week.

HHS Secretary Kennedy's decision to purge all 17 members of the CDC vaccine advisory board concerns public health experts. Some fear a new board will change vaccine recommendations, leading to reduced access for all and a surge in vaccine-preventable diseases.

As measles cases continue to spread across Texas, we consider how Texas dealt with massive measles outbreaks in the past. New research shows that measles could soon be common in the United States if vaccination rates don't increase.

In a national survey, less than 20% of U.S. adults were concerned about respiratory viruses or interested in getting shots. A North Texas infectious diseases specialist talks about why.

San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District reported 646 new COVID cases in the week ending October 17. That's up slightly from the week before when 616 new cases were reported.

In Texas, students entering kindergarten at public schools are required to have up-to-date vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and Hepatitis A. Ten percent of toddlers haven't even started the series.

Politics, religion, distrust and disinformation all play a role. "I've realized that there's no convincing somebody once they have their mind made up," says a social worker in Beaumont, Texas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Tuesday he is suing the federal government over the Defense Department’s vaccine mandate for military service members, saying the requirement interferes with his authority over the Texas National Guard. Abbott accused the Biden administration of violating the Second Militia clause of the Constitution and undermining his commander-in-chief power.

It’s the first vaccination increase since early April.