A small county in West Texas with one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in the state has confirmed 15 cases of measles, mostly in school-age children.
Zach Holbrooks, director of the South Plains Public Health District, said Monday his department was first notified of the first two cases in Gaines County in late January, saying "two children had seen a doctor in Lubbock."
Holbrooks said some of the cases appear to be linked to private religious schools in the area and warned that the investigation is ongoing.
"I wouldn't say the cases are all linked, but our team is investigating the exposure sites and the context of these cases," he said.
Local health officials set up drive-through vaccination clinics last week and are offering screenings to residents.
The U.S. has seen an increase in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60 people. This month, health officials in the Atlanta metropolitan area are working to contain a measles case that spread to two unvaccinated family members.
Texas law allows children to be exempt from school vaccinations for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs. The percentage of children exempted has risen over the past decade, from 0.76% in 2014 to 2.32% last year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Gaines County has one of the highest rates of school-age children in Texas not getting at least one required vaccine: Nearly 14% of children in kindergarten through 12th grade were exempted for the 2023-24 school year, more than five times the state average of 2.32% and higher than the national average of 3.3%
DOGE VS FEMA IS HERE!!!
Elon Musk's Team Reveals FEMA Spent $59 Million Putting Illegal Aliens In Luxury NYC Hotels Last Week—
Violating Trump's Executive Orders To Stop Spending
» WATCH/SHARE THE LIVE X STREAM HERE:
https://t.co/IPvvsQTR81
Pro-life Celebrity Tim Tebow threw a red carpet event to humanize people with special needs, including children with Down syndrome
These people are valuable and worthy of life. 🤍
Second time’s the charm. Congrats to the @Eagles, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Nick Sirianni and an outstanding defense for winning one for Philly. You earned it!
Super Bowl Halftime Show Dancer Displays Palestinian, Sudanese Flags During Kendrick Lamar Performance
The NFL said, “No one involved in the production was aware of the individual’s intentions.
NEW ORLEANS — A performer at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was detained by security for waving a Sudanese and Palestinian flag with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it at the end of his performance, the NFL said.
The individual, who was dressed in black like other dancers on the field, “was one of the 400 on-field performers.”
Search underway for plane with 10 passengers that overstayed in Alaska
A Bering Air Caravan flight from Unalakleet to Nome was reported delayed Thursday afternoon
The Trump administration agreed to limit DOGE's access to third-party payment systems. The agreement is in response to a lawsuit that alleges "illegal conduct" by providing private information to Elon Musk's Government Efficiency Department
Justice Department lawyers have agreed to temporarily limit access to information in payment systems for staff associated with Elon's Government Efficiency Department.
Yesterday, a group of members and retirees sued the US government, alleging that DOGE violated federal privacy laws by providing access to a vast payment and collection system and the personal data stored therein.
Congratulations to every single person on the left who’s been campaigning to destroy women’s and girls’ rights. Without you, there’d be no images like this.
FLASHBACK: Watch The Fox News Segment That Got Tucker Carlson FIRED
Then You'll Understand Why Chuck Schumer Is So Scared About Trump Finding/Releasing Jan. 6th Fedsurrection Info From The FBI
» WATCH/SHARE THE LIVE X STREAM HERE:
https://t.co/ZkGQN1pZCB
US military plane lands in India with about 100 illegal immigrants on board
The flight is one of the recent deportations carried out using military aircraft.
A US military plane carrying dozens of illegal Indian citizens landed in northern India on Wednesday morning, according to a Reuters video report.
A defense official familiar with the situation told NBC News that there were about 100 illegal immigrants on board.
The flight is one of the recent deportations carried out using military aircraft. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving the military a role in immigration enforcement and border security.