Kansas has joined Texas within the ongoing measles outbreak, with 23 confirmed instances throughout six counties. Of these instances, 20 are in unvaccinated sufferers, and all however two are youngsters.
On March 13, the Kansas Division of Well being and Setting confirmed the state’s first measles case since 2018.
The Texas outbreak, now at 327 confirmed instances throughout 15 counties, has unfold into New Mexico, the place officers report 43 confirmed instances.
The Kansas instances “have a possible link to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico,” in accordance with the Kansas well being division.
The principle perpetrator is the decline in nationwide measles vaccination charges, which have continued to say no over the previous decade as lethal fear-mongering is unfold by anti-vaxxers like Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Kansas faculty districts most affected by the outbreak thus far even have among the lowest vaccination charges within the state.
In the meantime, Republicans within the Kansas Legislature have handed a invoice to increase spiritual exemptions for vaccines which might be required in childcare amenities.
And on Thursday, Kennedy introduced that HHS plans to slash the federal well being workforce by nearly 24 %, and he has employed an anti-vaxxer crackpot to analysis a totally debunked connection between childhood autism and vaccines.
With an anti-vaxxer—who has demonstrated a perilous lack of skill—main the nation’s well being businesses, the measles disaster will certainly proceed its unfold.
