Doctors on the frontlines of the measles outbreak raging through a Texas town have revealed the situation on the frontlines.
Physicians who’ve treated tens of patients told how many were very young children or teens — including one who was six months old.
Some of the children have had to be intubated, they said, while others have come in struggling to eat or drink because of high fevers and sore throats.
A converted 15-seater bus providing tests and vaccines for measles has been set up in the Gaines county community, which is just below the Texas panhandle.
And some worried parents are bringing their very young children to the ER to get them vaccinated against measles early.
Dr Summer Davies, a Texas Tech Physician in Lubbock, Gaines County, who has treated patients infected in the outbreak, said: ‘It’s hard as a paediatrician, knowing that we have a way to prevent this and prevent kids from suffering and even death.
‘But I do agree that the herd immunity that we have established in the area isn’t the same now. And I think kids are suffering because of that.’
Latest data shows 159 people have been infected in the outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, an agricultural area with a large unvaccinated population, while 22 patients have been hospitalized. In the connected outbreak in New Mexico, ten cases have been detected.
Texas recorded its first death from measles in a decade last week, in an unvaccinated child. And yesterday New Mexico recorded a fatality from the disease in an unvaccinated adult.
The above shows Seminole, in the west of Texas, where the outbreak was first reported
The above is a stock image of a child infected with measles in the state
Nine states have reported measles outbreaks so far this year, with 164 cases reported in total — of which nearly half are in patients aged five to 19 years old.
Data suggests that 95 percent of the patients had not been vaccinated against the virus, while three percent had received only one dose.
Doctors in the rural community are mostly dealing with measles patients for the first time.
Billboards have been erected in the county warning of the outbreak, and flyers have been handed out. Some people are also posting in local WhatsApp groups to urge others to ensure they are up to date on their vaccines.
Dr. Ron Cook of Lubbock, Texas, told NPR: ‘[The outbreak’s] going to smolder for a while… I think, for the next several months.
‘You know, it’s — fortunately, the bigger cities like Lubbock have a pretty high vaccination rate, so it’ll slow down. But there will still be cases that pop up.’
He also said he now has a granddaughter who is 10 months old and, because of the outbreak, has already received her first dose of the vaccine.
Children normally receive their first shot of the MMR vaccine at age 12 months, and the second dose between the ages of four and six years.
About 82 percent of residents in the county are vaccinated against measles, although rates may be much lower among Mennonite Christians who are mostly home-schooled.
This is well below the at least 95 percent level that doctors say is needed to prevent an outbreak of measles.
Texas officials have set up a mobile unit to offer tests and vaccinations for measles to parents and children
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles
It comes as federal Government workers worry that messaging about vitamin A and cod liver oil could be detracting from the importance of vaccines.
RFK Jr. did write an editorial mentioning the importance of vaccines, but has also promoted the treatments — raising fears some people may believe that these could prevent an infection.
Scott Weaver, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas, told NPR: ‘Well, maybe if I take two or three times this amount, I’ll be even better protected against measles.
‘I’m concerned that people think that vitamin A or other nutrition is a substitute for vaccination to prevent infection and to prevent spread.’
Measles was officially eradicated in the US in 2000 amid a successful vaccination campaign, but is now causing sporadic outbreaks following a drop in inoculation rates.
It is the most infectious disease known, with one patient able to pass the infection on to nine others if they are in a room with ten other people.
About 40 percent of patients are hospitalized in the US, while about three in 1,000 die from the disease after suffering from deadly brain swelling.
Measles is transmitted via direct contact with infectious droplets released into the air by patients when they cough, sneeze or breathe.
The above shows the outskirts of Seminole, Texas, where devices are pumping the land for oil
And this shows the post boxes for some of the more rural houses in the area
Infectious droplets can hang in the air for around two hours, with symptoms emerging within seven to 14 days of infection.
Patients develop a fever, cough, and runny nose, which then develops into a rash that starts at the hairline before spreading to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
There’s no cure for measles, with doctors instead using antibiotics to treat related infections and IV fluids. The vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing an infection and is required for children attending school in some states.
