Seminole, Texas – Texas health officials report 15 measles cases in Gaines County, West Texas.
The county, which has around 22,000 residents, has the New Mexico border. The Seminoles’ county seat is approximately 60 miles north of Odessa.
Zach Holbrooks, director of the South Plains Public Health District, said Monday it appears to be linked to the county’s private religious schools.
All incidents in Gaines County reportedly were mostly school-aged children, mostly school-aged children.
National Media used the outbreak to attack Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the candidate for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in President Donald Trump’s second cabinet.
Kennedy is one of the most vocal critics in the pharmaceutical industry. He is particularly critical of the dramatic rise in autism in children, with some people believing it to be vaccine-related.
Since 1970, a 27,000% increase in autism has been reported, following an increase in pediatric vaccines needed.
Anti-vaccine sentiment has gained significant traction during the Covid-19 pandemic, pushing more parents to exempt their children from the vaccine.
Texas law allows children to receive school vaccine exemptions on reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs. According to the Texas Department of Health, the percentage of children with exemptions has more than tripled from 0.76% in 2014 to 2.32% last year.
