Texas is experiencing a measles outbreak with 24 infections reported, affecting primarily unvaccinated individuals. The situation coincides with the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his anti-vaccine stance, raising concerns among health experts about rising rates of preventable diseases. Measles vaccination rates in Texas, particularly in Gaines County, have decreased, currently at 82% among kindergartners, significantly below the federal goal of 95%. A decline in vaccination rates has been noted nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in nearly 280,000 kindergartners lacking documentation for M.M.R. vaccinations.
The outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a staunch critic of childhood vaccines, has been nominated to be the country's next health secretary, causing public health experts to worry.
There's a feeling this is going to be more and more common, said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease expert at Duke University.
Vaccination rates have been declining nationwide since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and now sit below 93 percent.
Texas public schools require children to have received certain vaccines, including the M.M.R. shot, but parents can apply for an exemption for reasons of conscious.
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