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Texas measles outbreak reaches 400 cases

The measles outbreak in Texas has surged to 400 cases, the state announced Friday, an increase of more than 20 percent since the last update on March 25.

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Nearly all the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. At least 41 people have been hospitalized so far.

An unvaccinated, but otherwise healthy child, died of measles in February, becoming the first measles fatality in the U.S. in a decade. Just two cases have occurred in people fully vaccinated, according to the data.

Friday’s updates come after the Trump administration abruptly canceled more than $11 billion in COVID-era public health grants, a move that state and local health departments said could harm Texas's measles response.

Departments are already operating on thin margins and need to balance sometimes competing public health priorities. Due to the loss, some health departments are already starting to cancel contracts and lay off workers.

Grants were used for information modernization, as well as to hire people to help with vaccinations, testing and disease tracking. But that work had to stop immediately.

Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said grant money was going to be used to help equip a new lab that is being built. The new equipment would have expanded the lab’s testing capacity for COVID-19, as well as other pathogens, like measles.

“This is going to stop work in its tracks that was really important for their communities,” said Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

“Work to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in nursing homes, for example, or to be able to track measles cases … the work has to stop, and yet the needs in the community remain,” Casalotti said.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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