The measles outbreak has now reached 700 reported cases in the United States, putting pressure on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to control the deadly virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 712 cases in total, with new cases discovered in Kansas, Ohio, and Indiana. The outbreak has now spread to 25 states, according to the data.
The increase follows Kennedy’s suggestion earlier this week at a White House Cabinet meeting that cases were plateauing.
The Lone Star State still has the most confirmed outbreaks, with 514 cases. According to the most recent Texas Department of State Health Services data, the state added 36 new cases earlier this week. Gaines County alone has recorded 355 outbreaks.
Since the measles outbreak began earlier this year in Texas, at least 56 people have been hospitalized for virus-related complications. The infection has claimed the lives of two school-aged children across the state. They were both unvaccinated and had no known medical conditions.
Kennedy went to Gaines County to comfort the family of an 8-year-old girl who died from the disease. The HHS secretary touted the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as the “most effective” way to prevent the spread of measles.
“My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief,” Kennedy, who has faced criticism for the department’s response to the outbreak and his previous stance on childhood vaccines, said earlier this month.
The number of cases in other states has also increased.
According to the New Mexico Department of Health, the total number of cases has risen to 58, with six reported by people who received at least one dozen doses of the vaccine. One death in the state is under investigation after the deceased resident tested positive for measles. They were also unvaccinated, according to the CDC.
The number of cases in Kansas increased to 32, with half of those affected being between the ages of 5 and 17, according to data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
According to the Indiana Department of Health, six cases of measles have been reported in Indiana, with all of them occurring in Allen County.
Despite facing criticism for his initial response to the outbreak, Kennedy has received some praise for stating that the MMR vaccine is the “most effective way to prevent the spread” of the viral infection.
“We are seeing at least some signs that this administration understands they need to respond more appropriately,” Jason Schwartz, a vaccine researcher at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Hill.
“It’s encouraging that there was an acknowledgement of basic public health knowledge, but it reminds us of just how little we’ve heard from this administration about the benefits of vaccination,” Schwartz told reporters. “It’s noteworthy that the acknowledgement was the stuff of headlines.”
The outbreak marks the first time Kennedy has had to reconcile his past as a vocal opponent of vaccines since taking on the leadership role, and funding cuts under the Trump administration have hit public health offices that work to track and prevent the disease.