Measles outbreaks continue in West Texas, but health organizations' reduction loomsExBulletin

Ali Shapiro, host:

Thousands of people have been fired from the Department of Health and Human Services today. It will affect Medical Research, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These CDC cuts can affect the response to measles outbreaks that began in West Texas. David Martin Davis of Texas Publik Radio is here to explain. Hi.

David Martin Davis, Signature: Hey, Ali.

Shapiro: How will these CDC cuts affect our efforts to deal with the outbreak of measles in Texas?

Davies: Well, there should be three things to end the outbreak – tracing, testing, vaccination. The concern is that all of this will decline and the virus will continue to spread. Today we have the latest information on the number of confirmed cases of measles in West Texas. It grew to 422. Almost all infected people were not vaccinated. I spoke with Terri Burke, president of The Immunization Project (PH), a Texas nonprofit organization. She said the state's health services funds have been lost, including vaccination programs and testing in measles outbreaks.

Terri Burke: That's hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, the impact on measles occurrence appears to be substantial.

Davis: Texas health officials have issued a statement that cancellations to the CDC grant have not affected the state's response to the outbreak of measles.

Shapiro: It seems to be a contradiction there. So what happens when vaccinations and testing programs are cut?

Davies: Well, this happened before in the 1980s, so I know the answer. As a result, measles occurred in 1989, resulting in 123 deaths nationwide. Dr. Adam Ratner warns repeatedly. He is a pediatrician and author of his new book, Booster Shot: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Child Health.

Adam Ratner: What's going on in Texas is your choice. The idea that a child died of measles in the US in 2025 is insane.

Davis: Ratner said at this point the country should invest more in public health.

Shapiro: There are also new concerns about this outbreak, where some children are being fed toxic levels of Vitamin A by their parents. Explain what's going on there.

Davis: Yeah, Vitamin A. Last week, the Lubbock hospital, the contracted home, confirmed that children with measles complications are permitted for treatment. They also have to be treated for overdose of vitamin A, which is causing liver problems in those children. Small amounts of vitamin A are used as supportive care in the development of measles. Here's what Dr. David Higgins said about it: He is a practical pediatrician and researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz University Medical Campus.

David Higgins: I know that if someone is deficient in vitamin A, it can lead to worse outcomes. And therefore, the World Health Organization recommends supplementing vitamin A for children with measles.

Davies: The misinformation is spreading online that vitamin A can prevent measles, but that's not possible. It may be related to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the director of Health and Human Services, who has a history of spreading medical misinformation about vaccines. He is enthusiastically promoting the use of vitamin A to treat measles. He even appeared to promote its benefits in Fox News. However, overuse of vitamin A has their serious consequences. And again, I need to emphasize – the only thing that can prevent measles is that vaccine.

Shapiro: That's David Martin Davis from Texas Public Radio. thank you.

Davis: Thank you.

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