The measles ripped through West Texas and leave many worried, as four children have already died this year because of this disease. A growing number of parents have been skipping shots for their kids, some say due to their distrust in vaccines and their effectiveness. Texas has one of the lowest state funding for public health in the nation. Keeping people safe from these outbreaks requires high vaccination rates, which unfortunately, Texas is among the lowest.
Immunization programs throughout the nation have been frail, due to the stagnant funding by the federal, state, and local governments. Several states sued the federal government, and cited losses to vaccine programs.This specific issue helped fuel the measles outbreak and allowed for its spread. Doctors worry that vaccine hesitancy will keep spreading, and so will diseases. Dr. Kelly Moore stated; “My whole life’s purpose is to keep people from suffering. And vaccines are a tremendous way to do that… But if we don’t invest in them to get them in arms, then we don’t see their benefits.”
As cuts further cripple the health departments, doctors worry immensely for the possibility of more outbreaks, due to the hesitancy of getting vaccines. The measles are still an ongoing problem in Texas, and several other states. Hundreds of ongoing cases threaten the lives of many.