AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Measles is now spreading in five states - Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Ohio and Oklahoma. Most of the cases are in West Texas, which reported today that they have had 400 cases since the outbreak started. Measles spreads quickly in communities with low vaccination rates, and vaccine hesitancy has been on the rise for years. But now, some pediatricians are seeing vaccine enthusiasm. NPR's Maria Godoy is here to tell us more. Hi, Maria.
MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so what are the latest numbers we're seeing right now on measles?
GODOY: Well, today, Texas reported 77 new cases just since Tuesday, which just goes to show how contagious measles is.
CHANG: Yeah.
GODOY: Yeah. Health officials there are expecting more cases, and as you noted, the virus is now spreading in other states. New Mexico has 44 cases. Kansas has 23. So there's concern that the virus will keep spreading.
CHANG: And do most cases involve people who are not vaccinated?
GODOY: Correct. The vast majority are not vaccinated. But here's something interesting. While we're hearing a lot about parents who don't want to vaccinate their kids, pediatricians I've been talking to are also hearing from worried parents who want their kids to get their vaccines early.
CHANG: What do you mean by early?
GODOY: So normally, kids get their first measles vaccine between 12 and 15 months and then a second dose between 4 and 6 years. But the CDC says in certain situations, you can get the measles vaccine as young as 6 months, like if you're traveling abroad or are in an outbreak area. I spoke with Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine. She's a pediatrician in Broward County, Florida.
SHANNON FOX-LEVINE: Our call center is - was inundated with calls about, you know, MMR vaccine. Is their child up to date? Should they get another vaccine? Should they get an extra one? Can they get it early?
GODOY: And this is in Florida, where vaccine hesitancy has been growing, so Fox-Levine says hearing vaccine enthusiasm is exciting.
CHANG: And why do you think there has been an uptick in enthusiasm?
GODOY: Well, two things - parents are watching what's happening with these outbreaks, and they're worried that measles will spread to where they live. You know, it is spring break season now, so people are traveling, and if you have kids who are too young for the vaccine, you might worry that you could run into someone with measles or that someone with measles could travel to your community. So these are the concerns pediatricians are hearing, but there's also politics at play.
CHANG: What do you mean? Like, what kind of politics?
GODOY: Well, several pediatricians told me they're hearing from parents who are worried about the future of vaccine access. These are parents who watch the news. They know that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a longtime critic of vaccines. Here's Dr. Susan Sirota. She's a pediatrician in the Chicago area.
SUSAN SIROTA: There's a bit of fear among moms and dads and parents about their ability to protect their children and to prevent diseases because vaccine access is in question for them.
GODOY: And, you know, it's not just the measles vaccine. Sirota says some patients are worried about access to the HPV vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer. Kennedy has been involved in legal challenges to that vaccine. Now, during his confirmation hearing, Kennedy said he wouldn't take vaccines away from anyone. He's called them a personal choice. We did reach out to HHS for comment. They did not respond.
CHANG: That is NPR's Maria Godoy. Thank you so much, Maria.
GODOY: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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