'Does not bode well': Doctor slams Trump's response as child dies in measles outbreak
Jennifer Bowers Bahney
February 26, 2025
Jennifer Bowers Bahney
February 26, 2025
RAW STORY
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease sickened an estimated three to four million Americans annually and killed hundreds (Johannes EISELE/AFP)
The Trump administration is hampering efforts to fight the measles outbreak that took the life of a an unvaccinated school-aged child this week in Texas, according to an MSNBC medical consultant Dr. Davita Patel.
The child's death was the first linked to an outbreak in West Texas that has infected more than 100 people. ABC News reported that most all of the cases "are in unvaccinated individuals or individuals whose vaccination status is unknown."
In an article Wednesday, Patel, a physician and health policy researcher, wrote, "The current Texas outbreak mirrors 2019’s surge in New York, where 1,274 cases nearly cost the U.S. its designation as a country that had eliminated the disease."
She continued, "Health experts stress that measles’ 90% transmission rate demands rapid, well-resourced responses. With hospitalizations rising and containment protocols delayed, the window to preserve this public health milestone is narrowing. Investment in immunization programs and disease surveillance remains critical to preventing measles from regaining endemic status.
However, the Trump administration's reluctance to encourage vaccines while simultaneously cutting public health outreach efforts, "does not bode well for the next four years," she wrote.
"In a normal presidency, this would be a time for action, with federal support for local public health programs or maybe the president using the bully pulpit to encourage people to get their children a safe and effective vaccine that prevents a brutal disease that can cause deafness, intellectual disabilities or even death," Patel wrote.
Patel also laid blame with President Donald Trump's own "vaccine skepticism" that led the president to reinstate military service members who refused the Covid vaccine during the pandemic. Trump has also echoed concerns about vaccines espoused by his Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spread conspiracy theories about vaccine safety.
In the piece, Patel wrote that, "Vaccination rates continue to decline nationally, with exemptions reaching record highs in 12 states." And, although a push to vaccinate would certainly save more lives, Patel concluded, "Unfortunately, we will not get the kind of response we need from the Trump administration soon."
Read the MSNBC article here.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease sickened an estimated three to four million Americans annually and killed hundreds (Johannes EISELE/AFP)
The Trump administration is hampering efforts to fight the measles outbreak that took the life of a an unvaccinated school-aged child this week in Texas, according to an MSNBC medical consultant Dr. Davita Patel.
The child's death was the first linked to an outbreak in West Texas that has infected more than 100 people. ABC News reported that most all of the cases "are in unvaccinated individuals or individuals whose vaccination status is unknown."
In an article Wednesday, Patel, a physician and health policy researcher, wrote, "The current Texas outbreak mirrors 2019’s surge in New York, where 1,274 cases nearly cost the U.S. its designation as a country that had eliminated the disease."
She continued, "Health experts stress that measles’ 90% transmission rate demands rapid, well-resourced responses. With hospitalizations rising and containment protocols delayed, the window to preserve this public health milestone is narrowing. Investment in immunization programs and disease surveillance remains critical to preventing measles from regaining endemic status.
However, the Trump administration's reluctance to encourage vaccines while simultaneously cutting public health outreach efforts, "does not bode well for the next four years," she wrote.
"In a normal presidency, this would be a time for action, with federal support for local public health programs or maybe the president using the bully pulpit to encourage people to get their children a safe and effective vaccine that prevents a brutal disease that can cause deafness, intellectual disabilities or even death," Patel wrote.
Patel also laid blame with President Donald Trump's own "vaccine skepticism" that led the president to reinstate military service members who refused the Covid vaccine during the pandemic. Trump has also echoed concerns about vaccines espoused by his Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spread conspiracy theories about vaccine safety.
In the piece, Patel wrote that, "Vaccination rates continue to decline nationally, with exemptions reaching record highs in 12 states." And, although a push to vaccinate would certainly save more lives, Patel concluded, "Unfortunately, we will not get the kind of response we need from the Trump administration soon."
Read the MSNBC article here.
Tom Boggioni
February 27, 2025
RAW STORY
MSNBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta (MSNBC screenshot)
MSNBC medical contributor Dr. Vin Gupta called out newly installed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr on Thursday morning after the Donald Trump appointee tried to downplay the alarming growth of measles cases that has now resulted in children dying.
Addressing the outbreak that is devastating counties in parts of Texas where vaccination rates are low, Kennedy, who is not a medical professional, stated, "Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country, last year there were 16. So it’s not unusual.”
During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," a visibly fuming Gupta took issue with Kennedy's glib and purportedly uninformed comments.
MSNBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta (MSNBC screenshot)
MSNBC medical contributor Dr. Vin Gupta called out newly installed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr on Thursday morning after the Donald Trump appointee tried to downplay the alarming growth of measles cases that has now resulted in children dying.
Addressing the outbreak that is devastating counties in parts of Texas where vaccination rates are low, Kennedy, who is not a medical professional, stated, "Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country, last year there were 16. So it’s not unusual.”
During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," a visibly fuming Gupta took issue with Kennedy's glib and purportedly uninformed comments.
king RFK, it's important to realize between the years 2020 and 2023, on average we saw about anywhere from 50 to 100 cases in total in those years between 2020 and 2023," the pulmonologist stated. "So, no, this is no just business as usual, this is unusual."
"We've seen 124 cases and its February 26th," he added. "So something unusual right now is happening and let's just also put a finer point on it. His former organization that he just resigned from is actively putting out information as we speak this week, stating that somehow the vaccine itself, because quote unquote, 'it's ineffective,' to use their words, is the reason why this is happening in Texas, this outbreak versus the low vaccine rate. "
"So this is happening," he accused. "This organization is putting out this information. I don't know a single credible doctor that you would want caring for your family or for your loved one that believes or wants any of this."
You can watch below or at the link.
"We've seen 124 cases and its February 26th," he added. "So something unusual right now is happening and let's just also put a finer point on it. His former organization that he just resigned from is actively putting out information as we speak this week, stating that somehow the vaccine itself, because quote unquote, 'it's ineffective,' to use their words, is the reason why this is happening in Texas, this outbreak versus the low vaccine rate. "
"So this is happening," he accused. "This organization is putting out this information. I don't know a single credible doctor that you would want caring for your family or for your loved one that believes or wants any of this."
You can watch below or at the link.
'God help us all': Infectious disease experts panic after Trump FDA cancels vaccine meeting
REUTERS/Leah Millis
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy reacts, on the day U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a business session with U.S. governors who are in town for the National Governors Association's (NGA) annual winter meeting, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 21, 2025.
REUTERS/Leah Millis
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy reacts, on the day U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a business session with U.S. governors who are in town for the National Governors Association's (NGA) annual winter meeting, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 21, 2025.
February 27, 2025
ALTERNET
Despite this being the worst flu season in 15 years, President Donald Trump's administration has abruptly cancelled a critical meeting that infectious disease experts were counting on to make sure the latest flu vaccine is the strongest.
NBC News reported Wednesday that a scheduled March meeting of a key Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine committee has been scuttled without explanation, and no future date has been set. Members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee were told about the cancellation in an email. Wednesday's announcement followed the news of a similar meeting hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) being unexpectedly delayed.
The meeting typically happens in the spring, so experts can decide which strains of the flu to include in the version of the vaccine that is normally ready for the public by the fall. Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist who chairs the New England Complex Systems Institute, noted in a Bluesky post that the FDA is under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is run by anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"Any delays will jeopardize next year’s vaccine supply chain," Dr. Feigl-Ding wrote. "God help us all."
The FDA's March meeting was slated to happen after the World Health Organization's (WHO) flu vaccine meeting this Friday, which typically influences what strains of the virus the FDA chooses to include in the updated vaccine. Even though Trump withdrew the United States from the WHO on the first day of his second term, officials from the FDA and the CDC will attend Friday's meeting.
"I feel like the world is upside-down," Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA's vaccine committee, told Dr. Jeremy Faust's Inside Medicine Substack newsletter. "We aren't doing the things we need to do to protect ourselves."
According to NBC, 86 children and 19,000 adults have died from the flu this season alone. And the news of the vaccine committee meeting being called off comes on the heels of a school-age child in Texas dying of measles — the first measles-related death in a decade. The child was not vaccinated for measles.
READ MORE: 'I have no idea': RFK Jr.'s former staffers question his ability to run a federal agency
"It's a bad day for infectious diseases," Boston Children's Hospital's Dr. Ofer Levy, who has advised the FDA on vaccines, told NBC.
Click here to read NBC's report in full.
Despite this being the worst flu season in 15 years, President Donald Trump's administration has abruptly cancelled a critical meeting that infectious disease experts were counting on to make sure the latest flu vaccine is the strongest.
NBC News reported Wednesday that a scheduled March meeting of a key Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine committee has been scuttled without explanation, and no future date has been set. Members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee were told about the cancellation in an email. Wednesday's announcement followed the news of a similar meeting hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) being unexpectedly delayed.
The meeting typically happens in the spring, so experts can decide which strains of the flu to include in the version of the vaccine that is normally ready for the public by the fall. Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist who chairs the New England Complex Systems Institute, noted in a Bluesky post that the FDA is under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is run by anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"Any delays will jeopardize next year’s vaccine supply chain," Dr. Feigl-Ding wrote. "God help us all."
The FDA's March meeting was slated to happen after the World Health Organization's (WHO) flu vaccine meeting this Friday, which typically influences what strains of the virus the FDA chooses to include in the updated vaccine. Even though Trump withdrew the United States from the WHO on the first day of his second term, officials from the FDA and the CDC will attend Friday's meeting.
"I feel like the world is upside-down," Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA's vaccine committee, told Dr. Jeremy Faust's Inside Medicine Substack newsletter. "We aren't doing the things we need to do to protect ourselves."
According to NBC, 86 children and 19,000 adults have died from the flu this season alone. And the news of the vaccine committee meeting being called off comes on the heels of a school-age child in Texas dying of measles — the first measles-related death in a decade. The child was not vaccinated for measles.
READ MORE: 'I have no idea': RFK Jr.'s former staffers question his ability to run a federal agency
"It's a bad day for infectious diseases," Boston Children's Hospital's Dr. Ofer Levy, who has advised the FDA on vaccines, told NBC.
Click here to read NBC's report in full.
SHEA encourages rescheduling postponed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Meeting
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) plays a crucial role in protecting childhood and adult health by developing vaccination recommendations based on scientific evidence. SHEA encourages timely rescheduling of the ACIP’s meeting that was scheduled for February 2025 to ensure patients and healthcare providers are getting the most up to date recommendations based on the latest scientific evidence review regarding vaccination.
The ACIP’s recommendations are foundational to public health, guiding pediatric and adult vaccine schedules that have significantly reduced the prevalence of highly communicable infectious diseases such a measles, mumps, rubella and pertussis. This is especially crucial for older adults, pregnant women, those with chronic conditions, and those that work in healthcare settings treating patients and interacting with caregivers. ACIP recommendations acknowledge and accept religious exemptions and recognized medical contraindications as reasons for not receiving recommended immunizations. The ACIP recommended updates to the vaccination schedule are important for medical insurance coverage of vaccines which is often contingent upon these recommendations. Any perceived mistrust in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines leads to significantly lower immunization coverage and increases the chances of more outbreaks, hospitalizations, and deaths from serious, preventable diseases such as measles. Vaccines save lives and are an important tool in protecting the public, patients, and healthcare personnel.
About SHEA
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) works to advance the science and practice of healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention. Founded in 1980, SHEA promotes education, research, and advocacy to improve patient care and safety. For more information, visit www.shea-online.org.
Contact: Lindsay MacMurray, lmacmurray@shea-online.org
Fears of U.S. public health crises grow amid falling vaccination rates
Agence France-Presse
February 25, 2025
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease sickened an estimated three to four million Americans annually and killed hundreds
"The measles is the canary in the coal mine," warned leading pediatrician and immunologist Paul Offit, highlighting the decline in vaccination rates since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amid growing distrust of health authorities and pharmaceutical companies, more parents are opting not to vaccinate their children.
The proportion of preschool-aged children vaccinated against measles -- which is mandatory -- has dropped nationally from 95 percent in 2019 to less than 93 percent in 2023. Some regions show even steeper declines, such as Idaho, where rates have fallen below 80 percent.
Experts warn that this trend could worsen under the leadership of newly appointed Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly questioned vaccine safety and promoted misinformation.
"It is a disaster waiting to happen, and it will happen," Offit told AFP.
- Religious exemptions -
In Louisiana, whooping cough has resulted in the deaths of two children, according to local media. As with measles, experts attribute the resurgence to vaccine exemptions.
"This is already happening. Our immunization rates are already low enough that vulnerable children are getting these diseases," said Jennifer Herricks, a scientist and board member of the nonprofit Louisiana Families for Vaccines, in an interview with AFP.
Across much of the country, parents can opt out of mandatory vaccinations for reasons beyond medical contraindications.
Many states allow exemptions on religious grounds, while others permit "philosophical" objections -- or both.
"In Texas, you can just, pretty much say, I object," explained Terri Burke of the Texas-based Immunization Partnership.
The recent measles cases have been reported in a Texas county with a large Mennonite population -- a conservative Christian sect.
The situation is reminiscent of the 2019 measles outbreak, which saw more than 1,200 cases, primarily among unvaccinated Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey.
While the reasons behind these exemptions vary -- ranging from religious beliefs and fear of side effects to distrust in health authorities or difficulties accessing health care -- there is an undeniable trend linked to a "pandemic backlash," said Richard Hughes, a health policy expert at George Washington University.
- Legislative offensives -
Mixed messaging on masking, frustration over lockdowns and Covid vaccine mandates -- some of which remained in place long after it was clear the shots didn't fully prevent transmission -- have eroded public trust, he said.
"We might have done better by just continuing to encourage people to be vaccinated than requiring it," Hughes added.
But any missteps were amplified by an overwhelming spread of misinformation, which thrived in the era of social media and podcasts.
These factors have turned vaccinations into a flashpoint in America's culture wars. Across the country, lawmakers are introducing bills aimed at either enshrining vaccine mandates at the local level, banning certain types of vaccines, or expanding exemptions.
The number of such bills has more than doubled compared to pre-Covid levels, said Herricks, who tracks the issue nationally.
Notable shifts include Montana's decision to halt vaccination statistics and Louisiana's cessation of vaccine promotion -- both signs of the growing marginalization of a practice that was once a cornerstone of public health policy.
According to Offit, Americans may soon face a harsh reality check.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease sickened an estimated three to four million Americans annually and killed hundreds.
It was declared eliminated in the United States by 2000, thanks to widespread immunization.
"People don't realize how sick and dead that virus can make you," he said.
Agence France-Presse
February 25, 2025
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease sickened an estimated three to four million Americans annually and killed hundreds
by Charlotte CAUSIT
Plummeting immunization rates, outbreaks of once-vanquished childhood diseases, and the appointment of a vocal vaccine skeptic as health secretary have U.S. experts sounding the alarm about a looming public health crisis.
Since the start of the year, nearly 100 cases of measles have been reported in Texas and neighboring New Mexico, raising fears that the highly contagious and potentially serious illness is making a comeback
Plummeting immunization rates, outbreaks of once-vanquished childhood diseases, and the appointment of a vocal vaccine skeptic as health secretary have U.S. experts sounding the alarm about a looming public health crisis.
Since the start of the year, nearly 100 cases of measles have been reported in Texas and neighboring New Mexico, raising fears that the highly contagious and potentially serious illness is making a comeback
"The measles is the canary in the coal mine," warned leading pediatrician and immunologist Paul Offit, highlighting the decline in vaccination rates since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amid growing distrust of health authorities and pharmaceutical companies, more parents are opting not to vaccinate their children.
The proportion of preschool-aged children vaccinated against measles -- which is mandatory -- has dropped nationally from 95 percent in 2019 to less than 93 percent in 2023. Some regions show even steeper declines, such as Idaho, where rates have fallen below 80 percent.
Experts warn that this trend could worsen under the leadership of newly appointed Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly questioned vaccine safety and promoted misinformation.
"It is a disaster waiting to happen, and it will happen," Offit told AFP.
- Religious exemptions -
In Louisiana, whooping cough has resulted in the deaths of two children, according to local media. As with measles, experts attribute the resurgence to vaccine exemptions.
"This is already happening. Our immunization rates are already low enough that vulnerable children are getting these diseases," said Jennifer Herricks, a scientist and board member of the nonprofit Louisiana Families for Vaccines, in an interview with AFP.
Across much of the country, parents can opt out of mandatory vaccinations for reasons beyond medical contraindications.
Many states allow exemptions on religious grounds, while others permit "philosophical" objections -- or both.
"In Texas, you can just, pretty much say, I object," explained Terri Burke of the Texas-based Immunization Partnership.
The recent measles cases have been reported in a Texas county with a large Mennonite population -- a conservative Christian sect.
The situation is reminiscent of the 2019 measles outbreak, which saw more than 1,200 cases, primarily among unvaccinated Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey.
While the reasons behind these exemptions vary -- ranging from religious beliefs and fear of side effects to distrust in health authorities or difficulties accessing health care -- there is an undeniable trend linked to a "pandemic backlash," said Richard Hughes, a health policy expert at George Washington University.
- Legislative offensives -
Mixed messaging on masking, frustration over lockdowns and Covid vaccine mandates -- some of which remained in place long after it was clear the shots didn't fully prevent transmission -- have eroded public trust, he said.
"We might have done better by just continuing to encourage people to be vaccinated than requiring it," Hughes added.
But any missteps were amplified by an overwhelming spread of misinformation, which thrived in the era of social media and podcasts.
These factors have turned vaccinations into a flashpoint in America's culture wars. Across the country, lawmakers are introducing bills aimed at either enshrining vaccine mandates at the local level, banning certain types of vaccines, or expanding exemptions.
The number of such bills has more than doubled compared to pre-Covid levels, said Herricks, who tracks the issue nationally.
Notable shifts include Montana's decision to halt vaccination statistics and Louisiana's cessation of vaccine promotion -- both signs of the growing marginalization of a practice that was once a cornerstone of public health policy.
According to Offit, Americans may soon face a harsh reality check.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease sickened an estimated three to four million Americans annually and killed hundreds.
It was declared eliminated in the United States by 2000, thanks to widespread immunization.
"People don't realize how sick and dead that virus can make you," he said.
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