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News Article
US measles cases pass 2,000 this year as outbreak nears worst in decades
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The US has recorded more than 2,000 confirmed measles cases so far this year – near the total of 2,228 recorded in all of 2025, and on track to become the worst year for measles in decades as states struggle with the loss of federal funding for public health. The virus continues to spread in unvaccinated and under-vaccinated communities, including among babies too young to be vaccinated, and it reveals the depths of the twin crises of misinformation and public health in the US. The US recorded 2,030 cases on 4 June, though experts believe the true number is about three times higher. Cases in Utah appear to be winding down, while cases in Virginia and Pennsylvania appear to be picking up. “I think it’s going to be a busy summer,” said Andrew Pavia, a George and Esther Gross presidential professor at the University of Utah who spoke in his personal capacity as an infectious disease expert. Utah has shown a new side of the outbreak. “What makes Utah different than South Carolina and Texas is that it spread throughout the entire state and became much more widely distributed,” Pavia said. Even so, there were two factors that made a difference in whether cases were contained, Pavia noted: “It hit hardest in communities that had relatively low vaccination rates and relatively limited public health departments.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 10 June 2026- Posted
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News Article
RFK Jr faces intense questions in US Senate on measles and flu deaths
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, faced intense questioning from several US senators on Wednesday during a hearing largely focused on how the administration has responded to the measles outbreak and the spread of vaccine misinformation. In his opening remarks to the Senate finance committee, the senator Ron Wyden criticizsed Kennedy’s messaging on vaccines, saying: “When it comes to vaccines, Robert Kennedy has used this once-in-a-lifetime platform to make parents doubt themselves and doubt their doctors,” before adding: “The secretary has ducked, bobbed and weaved without taking the responsibility of saying what needs to be said: vaccines save lives in America.” Tensions rose when the discussion turned to the measles outbreak, with Wyden challenging Kennedy directly over his long-held views on vaccines. Kennedy has consistently sought to separate himself from responsibility for the outbreak during recent Capitol Hill appearances. Public health specialists have argued that Kennedy failed to strongly promote vaccination and instead highlighted unproven treatments such as steroids while the virus spread across state lines. Kennedy, however, maintained that the US managed the outbreak more effectively than any other nation, noting that Mexico and Canada reported higher numbers of cases. “I had nothing to do with the measles outbreak here,” he reiterated. “We have limited our outbreak better than any country in the world.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 April 2026 -
Content Article
At Patient Safety Learning we believe that sharing insights and learning is vital to improving outcomes and reducing harm. That's why we created the hub; providing a space for people to come together and share their experiences, resources and good practice examples. To support. WHO's World Immunisation Week, we have picked 14 resources full of practical advice about vaccination in a range of settings. 1 WHO: Vaccines explained "Vaccines Explained" is a series of illustrated articles from the World Health Organization that describe how vaccines work, how they’re developed and distributed and how their safety is carefully monitored. 2 EDUCATE KS3 lesson pack: HPV vaccination Co-produced by young people and researchers from the University of Bristol and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ‘EDUCATE’ helps teach students about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and provide reassurance about receiving the vaccine, which is usually offered to teenagers at school as part of the national vaccination programme. 3 The Green Book: Immunisation against infectious diseases The Green Book is published by the UK Health Security Agency and contains the latest information on vaccination procedures for vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the UK. It offers guidance on general safety considerations and clinical procedures relating to immunisation, as well as specific information on a wide range of diseases and vaccinations. 4 Vaccination awareness toolkit for children and young people The School And Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) has coproduced this vaccination toolkit with children and young people. It aims to increase young people's awareness of what vaccines are, why they are important and what to expect from different types of vaccines. 5 Improving communication about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme among families In England, young people aged 12 to 13 years are offered immunisation against HPV as part of the NHS vaccination programme. However, research by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation at the University of Bristol has identified sustained inequalities in uptake by area and minority ethnic groups. They have produced a number of information videos to address information needs about HPV among young people. They were coproduced with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and diverse ethnic groups. 6 A visual guide to vaccines for the UK routine vaccination programme This guide by the UK Health Security Agency is designed to help ensure healthcare workers administer the right vaccines at the right time. It provides photos of all vaccines used in the UK routine immunisation programme, as well as information on when each vaccine should be given and its different trade names and abbreviations. 7 Pain management in infant immunisation: A cross-sectional survey of UK primary care nurses Childhood immunisation is a critically important public health initiative. However, since most vaccines are administered by injection, it is associated with considerable pain and distress. Despite evidence demonstrating the efficacy of various pain management strategies, the frequency with which these are used during routine infant vaccinations in UK practice is unknown. This study aimed to explore primary care practice nurses’ use of evidence-based pain management strategies during infant immunisation, as well as barriers to evidence-based practice. 8 Shingles Vaccination Programme: GP toolkit for improving uptake About 1 in 5 people who have had chickenpox develop shingles, predominantly those who are over 70. However, uptake rates of the shingles vaccine are falling in London and across England. The purpose of this toolkit is to help GPs better protect their patients by suggesting ways to improve uptake of the shingles vaccine. These suggestions are based on best practice and evidence and have been shown to work with little or no cost to practices. 9 Interview with Charlet Crichton, founder of UKCVFamily UKCVFamily was set up in November 2021 to support patients in the UK who have had an adverse reaction to a Covid-19 vaccination. The group provides help and advocacy as well as raising awareness amongst healthcare professionals, the media and the Government. In this video for the hub, founder of UKCVFamily Charlet Crichton talks about why she established the group and describes the support it offers to patients. 10 Measles and rubella vaccine microneedle patch: new hope to reach the unreached children This Lancet article looks at how microneedle patches (MNPs) could potentially improve coverage of childhood vaccinations by providing a more thermostable, individual-dose, injection-free vaccine delivery device suitable for administration by local, non-medical personnel. MNPs could also reduce wasted vaccine doses, needle-stick injuries and breaks in the cold chain, as well as making waste management easier. 11 Whooping cough resurgence as vaccination rates slump Official data on whooping cough show that reports of suspected cases are at a 15-year high in the first three months of 2024. This article in the Pharmaceutical Journal looks at why cases are increasing, including falling rates of children receiving the childhood 6-in-1 vaccine and maternal vaccination. It outlines the symptoms of whooping cough, describes how it can be treated and includes a map identifying infection 'hot spots' in England and Wales. 12 Enhancing vaccine confidence across ethnic minority communities The Collaboration for Change is a group of two UK universities, nine community organisations and two small and medium size enterprises, who have conducted research on how to improve vaccine uptake among ethnic minority groups. The report highlights the factors influencing vaccine uptake. 13 Vaccination in the UK: Access, uptake and equity Over the last decade, the uptake of vaccines in the UK has stalled and is in many cases falling. Declining rates of routine childhood vaccination in a country with a well-established universal healthcare system are extremely concerning and pose a significant public health risk, with outbreaks of preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough already being seen. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)'s Commission on Immunisation policy report assesses how and why vaccine uptake has stalled or declined. It outlines the evidence and our recommendations to increase uptake of routine childhood vaccinations across three broad themes: access to services, improved data systems and strengthening public information, education and communication. 14 UK Covid-19 Inquiry: Module 4 -Vaccines and therapeutics The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has published its fourth report and recommendations following its investigation into ‘Vaccines and therapeutics of the United Kingdom’. It considers and makes recommendations on a range of issues relating to the development of Covid-19 vaccines and the implementation of the vaccine rollout programme in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Issues relating to the treatment of Covid-19 through both existing and new medications were examined in parallel. Do you have a resource or story to share about immunisation safety? We’d love to hear about it - leave a comment below or join the hub to share your own post. -
News Article
NHS ’clearly failing’ to ensure children get measles vaccine, experts warn
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Children are at risk of measles because the NHS is “clearly failing” to ensure they get the MMR vaccine and its system needs an urgent overhaul, MPs and health experts have warned. Calls are growing for major reform of how MMR jabs are delivered as it emerged that vaccination rates in some parts of England are now on a par with those in Afghanistan and Malawi. More outbreaks of measles like the one in north London are inevitable, public health specialists believe, given that fewer than 60% of five-year-olds in some places have had both the recommended doses of MMR. In Enfield, where 60 children have recently contracted measles, of whom 15 have been hospitalised, the MMR vaccination rate is only 64.3%. That is lower than the 69.3% rate in Malawi and just above Afghanistan’s 62% rate. The World Health Organization advises a 95% rate. The outbreak in Enfield has reignited public and medical anxiety about unvaccinated children getting measles, which can damage the brain and lungs and in some cases lead to meningitis, blindness or even death. Five “catch-up clinics” have been set up in local community centres to vaccinate children who got either one or no doses of MMR when it was offered to their parents. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 16 February 2026 -
News ArticleMeasles infections have been confirmed across at least seven schools in north London as the NHS has warned parents to immunise their children. Cases were confirmed across several schools in Enfield and Haringey, according to a warning issued by Evergreen GP Surgery in Edmonton, who said that the infection was spreading. More than 60 measles cases were reported in London since January, and labs have confirmed 34 cases of measles in Enfield since 12 January, with one in five of these children being admitted to hospital with the infection. “There is no treatment for measles, only the vaccination to prevent catching it, which is part of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella (MMRV) injection,” the surgery said on the website. “Parents should ensure that their children are up-to-date with all their immunisations. This can be done by checking the child’s immunisations ‘red book’ or contacting the practice nurse here at the GP practice.” The MMR vaccine has been updated to also protect against chicken pox. The outbreak comes after recent UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures showed that not a single childhood vaccine in England last year met the target needed to ensure diseases cannot spread among youngsters. Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 February 2026
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News Article
UK loses WHO status as measles-free after rise in deaths and fall in jab uptake
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The UK has lost its status as a measles-free country after a rise in deaths from the disease and fall in the proportion of children having the MMR jab in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it no longer classified Britain as having eliminated measles because the disease had become re-established. The UK is one of six countries in Europe and central Asia that the WHO says is no longer measles-free, the others being Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. The WHO had adjudged the UK to have eliminated the disease between 2021 and 2023, but recent increases in the number of recorded cases – there were 3,681 in 2024 – and rises in the number of outbreaks and deaths has led to a rethink. Doctors, public health experts and local councils said the WHO’s decision reflected the country’s diminishing uptake of the MMR vaccination, which they linked to vaccine hesitancy and parents’ difficulty in getting appointments for their child to be immunised. Dr Simon Williams, a public health researcher at Swansea University, said: “It’s sad to see the UK losing its measles elimination status, although it’s not surprising given outbreaks in recent years. Measles is an eminently preventable disease but vaccine coverage of MMR has declined. We are seeing vaccine hesitancy growing in the UK, as in many countries, and social media-based conspiracies about MMR are a factor.” He said the decision by the UN health body “is a wake-up call that more needs to be done” to get rates of MMR in children in the UK back up to the 95% that the organisation says is needed to eliminate measles, mumps and rubella altogether through herd immunity. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 January 2026 -
News Article
Why the US measles review matters as experts warn of wider risk
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
International health authorities are set to convene in April to determine if the U.S. has forfeited its measles-free designation, a year after an outbreak first emerged in West Texas. Experts are concerned that the vaccine-preventable virus has re-established a foothold, potentially leading the U.S. to follow Canada in losing this significant public health achievement. The re-evaluation is largely symbolic, contingent on whether a single measles chain has spread uninterrupted within the country for at least 12 months. Public health scientists are currently investigating potential links between the now-concluded Texas outbreak and active cases in Utah, Arizona and South Carolina. However, medical professionals and researchers assert that the U.S. – and North America more broadly – confronts a significant measles challenge, irrespective of the upcoming decision. “It is really a question of semantics,” said Dr. Jonathan Temte, a Wisconsin family physician who helped certify the U.S. was measles-free in 2000. “The bottom line is the conditions are sufficient to allow this many cases to occur. And that gets back to de-emphasizing a safe and effective vaccine.” “The most important thing that we can do is to make sure the people who aren’t vaccinated get vaccinated,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center. “We have not issued a clear enough message about that.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 January 2026 -
News Article
US is weeks away from losing its measles elimination status
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
As of 6 January, the CDC has confirmed 2,147 measles cases in 2025 and 2026, with North Carolina and South Carolina reporting the latest cases amid dozens of outbreaks across the U.S. The U.S. achieved measles elimination status in 2020, but the nation could lose this designation in late January. In 2025, the CDC logged 49 outbreaks across 45 states. The federal health agency has not reported on any measles-related hospitalizations or deaths in 2026. In 2025, there were 240 hospitalisations and three deaths. “About 11% of patients are still being hospitalized for measles, so hospitals may need to be ready to employ isolation precautions to prevent in-hospital spread,” Kaufman Hall said in a news release. The majority of infections are among unvaccinated individuals. A national survey conducted from 17 November to 1 December by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania found a decline in the public’s perception of the safety and effectiveness of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. In 2025, 83% of U.S. adults considered the MMR vaccine as safe, which is significantly lower than the 88% who said the same in 2022. Read full story Source: Becker's Clinical Leadership, 13 January 2026 -
News Article
Canada no longer measles-free as outbreaks spread
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Canada is no longer measles-free because of ongoing outbreaks, international health experts said on Monday, as childhood vaccination rates fall and the highly contagious virus spreads across North and South America. The loss of the country’s measles elimination status comes more than a year after the highly contagious virus started spreading. Canada has logged 5,138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely. Measles elimination is a symbolic designation, but it represents a hard-won battle against the infectious disease. It is earned when a country shows it stopped continuous spread of the virus within local communities, though occasional cases might still pop up from travel. It is prevented by a vaccine administered routinely and safely to children around the world. “It’s a deeply disheartening development. It’s a deeply worrisome development. And, frankly, it’s an embarrassing development,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University infectious disease expert. “No country with the amount of resources of Canada – or other countries in North America even – should lose their measles elimination status.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 November 2025 -
News Article
The US might lose its longstanding ‘measles elimination’ status
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
America may be on track to losing its longstanding measles “elimination status,” held by the United States since 2000. The status indicates that there has not been continuous spread of the infectious disease for more than a year – but vaccine hesitancy and other factors have sent infections rocketing to their highest levels in 25 years. There have been 1,648 cases and three deaths tied to the virus this year so far, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. And if recent cases, reported in South Carolina or Utah, are tied back to a deadly West Texas outbreak that started in January and health authorities can’t bring the areas under control before the new year, the country’s elimination status is at risk. In South Carolina, the outbreak fuelled by exposures at Spartanburg County elementary schools has grown to 37 cases, including many unvaccinated students. Utah has seen 64 cases largely around the Southwest, 61 of whom were unvaccinated. The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 97% effective against infection. That’s how the U.S. reached its elimination status initially. However, child vaccination rates have fallen across the U.S. since before the pandemic, with fewer than 92.5 percent of kindergarteners getting a measles shot for this 2024-2025 school year. Doctors say falling rates are tied to increasing vaccine hesitancy and the spread of misinformation about vaccine safety. Read full story Source: The Independent, 4 November 2025 -
News Article
CDC says measles cases are most likely underreported as outbreak swells in Texas
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Measles cases are most likely being underreported in the United States as public health officials scramble to find resources to address a ballooning outbreak in the Southwest, according to a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far this year, 747 cases have been recorded in the United States, according to NBC News’ tally. Two unvaccinated children in Texas and an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico have died. The adult tested positive for measles, but the official cause of death is still under investigation. Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist leading the CDC’s measles response, said Tuesday at a meeting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee that more than 90% of the cases are “related to the Southwest outbreak, driven by transmission in close-knit, undervaccinated communities.” The other cases have largely been imported from other countries, he said. “We do believe that there’s quite a large amount of cases that are not reported and underreported,” Sugerman said Tuesday as he updated the committee on measles. “In working very closely with our colleagues in Texas; in talking with families, they may mention prior cases that have recovered and never received testing, other families that may have cases and never sought treatment.” Read full story Source: NBC News, 16 April 2025 -
News Article
US exceeds 700 measles cases as officials struggle to contain outbreaks
Mark Hughes posted a news article in News
The US reached a grim milestone Friday surpassing 700 confirmed measles cases in 2025, according to figures posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirty-two percent of cases occurred in patients under 5 while 38% were reported in those between 5 and 19, according to the agency. As of Friday, the CDC reported 79 hospitalisations, including 45 patients who were under 5. Most measles cases, 97%, occurred in unvaccinated patients or whose vaccination status is unknown. Read full story Source: USA Today News, 14 April 2025 -
News Article
Second child dies of measles as Texas outbreak worsens
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A second child has died from measles as an outbreak of the highly contagious virus continues to grow in western Texas. The school-aged child was not vaccinated, had no underlying health conditions and was in hospital suffering complications from measles, Aaron Davis, the vice-president of UMC Health System, told the BBC. US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has faced a backlash over his handling of the outbreak, visited Texas on Sunday in the wake of the death, which is the third overall in recent weeks. The southern US state has reported more than 480 cases of measles so far this year as of Friday, a jump from 420 earlier in the week. The outbreak has extended to neighbouring states. Across the whole of the US, more than 600 cases of measles have been recorded so far this year, more than double the 285 cases that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded last year. In 2019, there were a total of 1,274 measles cases recorded across the US, but prior to that there had not been a larger outbreak than this year's since the early 1990s, according to the CDC. Many of this year's cases - nearly all in unvaccinated people - are related to the outbreak that began in western Texas. "This unfortunate event underscores the importance of vaccination," Mr Davis said in a statement. "Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications, particularly for those who are unvaccinated." Read full story Read full story: BBC News, 6 April 2025 -
News ArticleA California coastal destination is telling visitors to leave the measles virus at home this spring break, as cases continue to crop up across the country. San Diego County’s communications office said that while no cases have been reported there this year, the potential for new infections could rise with “many people taking advantage of spring break.” “If you have traveled internationally or nationally near an outbreak area and are experiencing the symptoms of measles, call your healthcare provider immediately,” Medical Director of County Epidemiology and Immunization Services Dr. Seema Shah said in a Monday statement. “Measles isn’t just a fever and rash. It can be a very dangerous illness, especially for young children and babies.” The county has also released a Public Service Announcement on social media to warn people of the potential spread and the vaccination. The warning comes as a deadly outbreak in West Texas grew even larger, with 327 cases identified since late January, officials announced Tuesday. That’s up by 18 since Friday. Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 March 2025
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News Article
More US states report measles cases amid vaccine misinformation
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More US states are reporting measles cases as the Texas outbreak expands, surpassing last year’s total, amid vaccine misinformation and hesitancy. The Texas outbreak could take a year to get under control, one health official said – during which time it may spread to more states. “I never thought in 2025, we would be looking at this resurgence of measles,” said Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock Public Health. “And I didn’t know it’d be in my backyard, either.” On Thursday, several other states reported updates on measles. Ohio reported its first case of 2025 and Maryland announced two new cases. Both states have linked the cases to international travel. Alabama also announced that an unvaccinated child with measles travelled through the state, while Kansas has confirmed eight cases of measles among children this month. Health departments in cities like Lubbock, where the hospitalised children with measles are being treated, have created mass vaccination clinics where anyone can get the MMR vaccine free of charge. “We’re trying to remove every single barrier to get vaccinated,” Wells says. “And then we’re working more with messaging from trusted leaders about the importance of vaccination.” But so far, the Lubbock clinic has only given out about 300 more vaccines than they usually would over the past few weeks. Without widespread vaccination, the outbreak could continue for another year, she says. Other recent outbreaks have been in densely populated areas, but these cases are spread over 11 counties in Texas, plus New Mexico and Oklahoma. “We have a large, spread-out population where we’re going to keep seeing measles pop up,” Wells says. “It’s going to take a lot of time to change the perception of vaccines, get people vaccinated, and then get to a point where there won’t be any vulnerable people left for measles to find.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 March 2025 -
News ArticleStruggling to contain a raging measles epidemic in West Texas, public health officials increasingly worry that residents are relying on unproven remedies endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and postponing doctor visits until the illness has worsened. Hospitals and officials sounded an alarm this week, issuing a notice explaining which measles symptoms warranted immediate medical attention and stressing the importance of timely treatment. “I’m worried we have kids and parents that are taking all of these other medications and then delaying care,” said Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas, where many of the sickest children in this outbreak have been hospitalized. Some seriously ill children had been given alternative remedies like cod liver oil, she added. “If they’re so, so sick and have low oxygen levels, they should have been in the hospital a day or two earlier,” she said. In his first public statements about the outbreak, Mr. Kennedy faced intense backlash for minimizing the situation, saying it was “not unusual” and falsely claiming that many people hospitalized were there “mainly for quarantine.” In the following weeks, Mr. Kennedy altered his approach, offering a muted recommendation of vaccines for people in West Texas while also promoting unproven treatments like cod liver oil, which has vitamin A, and touting “almost miraculous and instantaneous” recoveries with steroids or antibiotics. Read full story (paywalled) Source: New York Times, 15 March 2025
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News Article
Measles highest in 25 years in Europe, WHO says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of measles cases in the European region doubled last year to reach the highest level in 25 years, health officials say. A joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN children's fund, Unicef, said children under the age of five accounted for more than 40% of the cases reported in Europe and central Asia. "Measles is back, and it's a wake-up call," Hans Henri Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said. "Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security." The MMR vaccine - which immunises people against measles, mumps and rubella - is 97% effective in fighting off the dangerous virus. Measles is a highly contagious disease which is spread by coughs and sneezes. The measles virus can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. The WHO/Unicef joint analysis covering 53 countries said there had been 127,350 measles cases reported in the European region in 2024 - the highest since 1997. A total of 38 deaths had been reported up to 6 March 2025. Measles cases, they added, had been declining since 1997, but the trend reversed in 2018-19 and cases rose significantly in 2023-24 "following a backsliding in immunisation coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic". "Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks," they warned. The WHO/Unicef statement concluded that measles remained "a significant global threat" and urged governments where cases were occurring to take quick action - and those where the virus had not arrived to be prepared to act. Read full story Source: BBC News, 13 March 2025 -
News Article
US CDC plans study into vaccines and autism, sources say
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a large study into potential connections between vaccines and autism, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence of such links. The CDC's move comes amid one of the largest measles outbreaks the U.S. has seen in the past decade, with more than 200 cases and two deaths in Texas and New Mexico. The outbreak has been fueled by declining vaccination rates in parts of the United States where parents have been falsely persuaded that such shots do more harm than good. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, whose role includes authority over the CDC, has long sowed doubt over the safety of the combined vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). In a cabinet meeting last week, Kennedy initially downplayed news that a school-aged child had died of measles in Texas, the first such death in a decade, calling such outbreaks ordinary and failing to mention the role of vaccination to prevent measles. Last weekend Kennedy published an opinion piece on Fox News that promoted the role of vaccination, but also told parents vaccination was a personal choice and urged them to consult with their physician. HHS and CDC cited what they described as skyrocketing autism rates in a joint statement on Friday. "CDC will leave no stone unturned in its mission to figure out what exactly is happening," the statement said. "The American people expect high quality research and transparency and that is what CDC is delivering." Read full story Source: Reuters, 7 March 2025 -
News ArticleSecretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised unconventional treatments, but didn’t mention vaccines, in an interview on Fox News about the expanding measles outbreak in West Texas. In the prerecorded interview, Kennedy said that the federal government was sending vitamin A to the epicenter of the outbreak in Gaines County. He added that the government was also helping to arrange ambulance rides. While officials from the health department have previously said that they were sending doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine to the state, Kennedy, who has a history of vaccine-skeptic views, didn’t mention vaccination as an option during an interview. Kennedy instead claimed that doctors in Texas had experienced “very, very, good results” by treating the disease using the steroid budesonide, the antibiotic clarithromycin, as well as cod liver oil, which the secretary said has high amounts of vitamins A and D. The chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, Dr. Sean O’Leary noted when speaking to The New York Times that doctors sometimes use vitamins to treat children with measles, but added that cod liver oil is “by no means” a treatment based in evidence. He said he had never heard of a doctor using cod liver oil to treat the disease. Read full story Source: The Independent, 5 March 2025
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News ArticleLast Wednesday, during President Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the nation's largest federal health agency, downplayed a measles outbreak that has infected more than 150 people and killed a child in Texas. "We're following the measles epidemic every day," Kennedy said with reporters in the room during the Cabinet meeting. "Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country. ... So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.” Two days later, Kennedy, a long time critic of well-established vaccines, seemed to backtrack from that stance and said he recognizes the serious impact of the outbreak in west Texas. The U.S. government, through the Department of Health and Human Services, is providing resources, including protective vaccines, Kennedy said in a post on X Friday. HHS is sending Texas 2,000 doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR), as well as laboratory support to better track the virus, HHS also is communicating with public health officials "every day in all affected areas to support their response and ensure they have the resources they need," Kennedy posted on X. "We will continue to fund Texas’ immunization program. Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team at HHS," Kennedy wrote. In the past, Kennedy has opposed vaccine mandates for COVID-19 and promoted the disproven claim that childhood immunizations can cause autism. As of February 27, 2025, a total of 164 measles cases were reported by 9 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas, according to CDC data updated on Thursday. Of those 164 cases, 95% of the individuals are unvaccinated, the CDC reports. So far, 20% of those cases, or 32 out of 164, have been hospitalised. Read full story Source: Fierce Healthcare, 1 March 2025
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News Article
Unvaccinated child dies of measles in west Texas as outbreak worsens
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The unfolding crisis over the spread of measles in the US among communities where scepticism towards vaccines is running high has taken a turn for the worse after a person who was hospitalized with the disease died in west Texas, the first fatality in the outbreak that began late last month. A Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center spokesperson, Melissa Whitfield, confirmed the death on Wednesday. It is the first death from measles in the US since 2015. The school-aged child who died was not vaccinated, the Texas department of state health services said, and was hospitalised in Lubbock last week after testing positive for measles, per the Texas department of state health services. The measles outbreak in rural west Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said on Tuesday. There are also nine cases across the border in eastern New Mexico. Cases are concentrated in the “close-knit, undervaccinated” community, state health department spokesperson Lara Anton said. Gaines county, which has reported 80 cases so far, has a strong homeschooling and private school community. The crisis is in Texas is hitting just as the US Health and Human Services Department (HHS) falls into the hands of the notorious vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr. Donald Trump’s pick as health secretary has promoted the debunked theory that childhood vaccinations are linked to autism, and in one of his first acts in his new job has postponed a public meeting on immunization. Kennedy on Wednesday said that the HHS is “watching” cases, though he did not provide specifics on how the federal agency is assisting. He dismissed Texas’s outbreak as “not unusual” during the first meeting of Trump’s cabinet members in the president’s second administration. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 February 2025 -
News Article
Measles, once eliminated in the USA, rises in Texas and New Mexico
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Nearly 100 people across Texas and New Mexico have caught measles, state officials said, escalating anxiety over the spread of a potentially life-threatening illness that was declared eliminated in the United States more than two decades ago. Ninety cases of measles — the majority affecting children under age 17 — were detected in Texas’s South Plains, a sprawling region in the state’s northwest, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Friday. The spread marks a significant jump from the 24 cases reported earlier this month. The DSHS warned that “additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities.” The United States had declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning the disease had not spread domestically for more than 12 months. It credited the achievement to widespread inoculation campaigns after the vaccine became available in 1963. However, the national vaccination rate for measles has dropped in recent years, particularly during and after the coronavirus pandemic. Most cases recorded this year have occurred in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown, the CDC said. The disease’s comeback has occurred in tandem with the rise of anti-vaccine rhetoric propagated on social media and among some public officials. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Washington Post, 24 February 2025 -
News Article
Watch for measles, UK doctors told, as vaccine rate dips
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors must be on high alert for measles as vaccine rates among young children have dipped to a 10-year low, leaving some unprotected and risking outbreaks of the highly infectious and dangerous virus, experts say. It is the first time in decades the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has issued national guidance such as this. At least 95% of children should be double vaccinated by the age of five. But the UK is well below that target. Latest figures show only 84.5% had received a second shot of the protective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab - the lowest level since 2010-11. Measles can make children very sick. The main symptoms are a fever and a rash but it can cause serious complications including meningitis. For some, it is fatal. The RCPCH is worried the UK is now seeing a "devastating resurgence" of virtually eliminated life-threatening diseases such as measles, because of low vaccine uptake. Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 November 2023 -
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Parents in England urged to ensure children get MMR jab amid uptake drop
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) after a “worrying” drop in uptake of key vaccines. Figures from NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show 92.5% of children had had the first dose of the MMR jab at five years old by 2022-23, the lowest since 2010-11. The proportion of five-year-olds who had had the second jab by 2022-23 was 84.5%, also the lowest level since 2010-11. Vaccination programmes across England failed to meet the uptake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the year 2022-23. WHO recommends that, nationally, at least 95% of children should be inoculated for diseases that can be stopped by vaccines, in order to prevent outbreaks. NHS data showed no routine vaccine programme met the threshold during the 12-month period. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, a consultant medical epidemiologist at UKHSA, said the downward trend was a “serious concern”. “The diseases that these vaccines protect against, such as measles, polio and meningitis, can be life-changing and even deadly,” she said. “No parent wants this for their child especially when these diseases are easily preventable. Please don’t put this off, check now that your children are fully up to date with all their vaccines due. Check your child’s red book and get in touch with your GP surgery if you are not sure.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 September 2023 -
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Unvaccinated children to face isolation for 21 days during measles surge
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Children who have not been vaccinated against measles may have to enter isolation for 21 days if a classmate becomes infected. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) predict the capital alone could see 160,000 cases occur as measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates are at the lowest in a decade. Both Haringey and Barnet Council wrote to parents to tell them any unvaccinated child who comes into close contact with a measles case could be asked to self-isolate for up to 21 days. This week statistics from NHS England show that across the country more than 102,000 children aged four and five starting in reception are not protected against catching measles, mumps and rubella. 32,000 children in London alone aren’t vaccinated, reveal NHS England, and just three-quarters of children in the capital have received the two required doses of the MMR jab, which protects against measles. This is 10% lower than the national average. Measles is highly infectious and if left unvaccinated nine out of ten children in a classroom will catch the disease if just one child is infectious. Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 September 2023
