Across Texas and the United States, measles cases have begun to develop at an unprecedented speed, with the Mennonite community in Gaines County having the spotlight on their measles cases with 211 cases developed as of March 21. That statistic is listed in a statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Jennifer Baggett, a Dallas College professor at Richland Campus with a Ph.D. in cell biology, was concerned with the development of the virus. “Because it’s a viral infection, if you’re vaccinated against that particular viral infection, you’re less likely for the virus to take hold in your body. Anyone who is unable to be vaccinated or chooses to be unvaccinated is more likely to be susceptible to infection,” Baggett said.
When asked to elaborate on virus, Baggett said, “Measles is a viral infection. … One of the difficult things about measles is any viral infection can’t be treated with any antibiotics.” As such, it is difficult to treat and instead must be countered by the infected individual’s immune system. She added, “It’s the sort of thing that typically has to run its course once you’ve had the infection.”
This can be seen particularly in counties such as Gaines County, where Baggett said, “Because the measles is highly contagious, it’s one of the easiest to spread once someone is infected.” Gaines County has one of the lowest rates of vaccinations in the state, according to the Texas State Department of Public Records. This could be considered a factor in the rapid development of cases. Baggett said, “There are a couple of communities in the West Texas area where due to particular reasons, they tended not to be vaccinated. Because that particular community tended not to be vaccinated, that made it easier for an infection to spread in the community.”
At press time, the CDC has confirmed one death as caused by measles. It’s the first death from measles since 2015. Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccination organization whose mission statement is to “ending childhood health epidemics by eliminating toxic exposure.” The parents of the deceased daughter were interviewed with a translator present. The parents were adamant that it was the right choice to not take the vaccine, with the translator saying that “It was her time on Earth,” and that “They believe she’s better off where she is now.” They later said, “The measles wasn’t that bad. They got over it pretty quickly,” in reference to their other children, who subsequently became ill with the measles after the death of their daughter.
The organization, previously led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prior to his appointment as the U.S. Secretary of Health, is now facing pushback after releasing misleading vaccination information mimicking the layout of the CDC’s website. The Secretary of Health ordered the information to be taken down, with the website no longer being accessible. As of March 24, Kennedy’s face can still be seen at the bottom of the Children’s Health Defense page on vaccine education.
