RFK Jr. insisted he is ‘not anti-vaccine’ in his confirmation hearing
HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Senator Ron Wyden he is “not anti-vaccine” in his confirmation hearing.
A measles outbreak continues to hit Texas, state health officials warned Tuesday.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 24 cases of the disease have been identified in Gaines County over a two-week period as of Tuesday.
All of the cases are in unvaccinated residents of the northwestern Texas county, and 22 of the cases are in children. Nine patients have been hospitalized in the outbreak.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” the state agency said in the Tuesday update.
Brownfield Independent School District reported on social media that the DSHS has confirmed cases of measles in Terry County to the district Tuesday, stating that “it is likely to continue to spread.” Lynn County reported one case of the disease last week.
The New Mexico Department of Health reported a case of measles in an unvaccinated teenager in Lea County − which borders Gaines County − Tuesday.
“It is important to get up to date on vaccinations now, especially if you or your children are not fully immunized for measles,” Dr. Miranda Durham, New Mexico’s Chief Medical Officer, said in the announcement.
Measles cases rise as vaccine rates fall
Measles had been declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, as vaccine rates have decreased, the disease has seen a rebound. The CDC reported 285 measles cases in 33 states in 2024, and 89% of the cases last year were in those who were unvaccinated or of unknown vaccine status.
The CDC had previously reported 14 cases of measles in 2025 as of Feb. 6.
In 2024, the CDC reported that coverage for all vaccines in children enrolled in kindergarten fell below 93%, with uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine standing at 92.7%.
What are the symptoms of measles?
Measles is a highly contagious disease where symptoms may begin 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, according to the CDC.
Inital symptoms may include:
- High fever that may spike to more than 104 degrees
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
Small white bumps may begin to appear in an infected person’s mouth two to three days after symptom onset and a rash may begin to spread three to five days after symptom onset.
