Vaccines

This weekend, Tim Green was elected as the new representative for Lubbock City Council District 4 in the special runoff race to replace outgoing representative Brayden Rose. Doctors and public health officials are urging parents to check that their children's vaccinations are up to date ahead of the new school year. KERA's Abigail Ruhman reports measles cases nationwide have reached their highest point in 30 years.

A new CDC report on the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak reveals that 90% of those hospitalized in the first two months were children, and four of the five hospitalized adults were pregnant.

From a West Texas measles outbreak to rising vaccine exemptions statewide, families of immunocompromised children depend on herd immunity, which is slowly eroding.

In South Carolina, more than 130 schoolkids are under quarantine after being exposed to measles. Across the U.S., total case counts could be even higher than the official number.

Changes to vaccine guidance from the Trump administration has added to confusion amid a seasonal spike in the virus.

The CDC’s immunization advisory committee has ended its recommendation of the combined MMRV vaccine for children under four, a change local health officials say will affect vaccine access after a West Texas measles outbreak that caused two child deaths. Meanwhile, TxDOT is hosting car seat checkup events in Lubbock tomorrow and Saturday to help parents ensure proper fit.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the next round of COVID-19 vaccines, but is restricting them to people at high risk for COVID complications.

Faced with a skeptical religious community that became the center of the outbreak, public health officials say they may have pushed too hard on vaccine messaging.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported no new measles cases linked to the West Texas outbreak this week.

Many of the patients are being treated in Lubbock, a medical hub for the South Plains where the outbreak originated.