U.S. at risk for losing measles elimination status | Dallas News Live

Welcome back to the show. The Pan American Health Association or organization is meeting this week to review whether the United States should lose its measles elimination status. So that can happen when a virus spreads continuously for one year. Health officials with the CDC have now confirmed more than 5,000 measles cases nationwide this year with an ongoing outbreak currently along the Arizona-Utah border. A lot of people remember last year a West Texas outbreak killed two children Joining us now is Dr. Michael Burgess. He is a physician and a former North Texas congressman. Doctor, thank you so much for being here. How significant is it for a country to lose its measles elimination status? It sounds serious. It is serious, and as a practical matter, what this means is you no longer have to travel to be exposed to measles. It can occur in your own backyard. That is, as you point out, that self-sustaining transmission within your community. And it means that people do need to pay attention to their immunization status, their history as to whether or not they've had the measles and therefore have immunity, or whether they've had the MMR vaccine. I think you will see some of the Some of the exemptions for measles vaccines perhaps tightened as a result. Because as you say, you've got 5,200 cases this year. The year's not over yet. Some estimates are that the United States will end the year with 6,500 cases of measles. And you've got about an 11% hospitalization rate of those. It's not just that someone has a rash, but there is a risk for pneumonia and encephalitis from the measles virus. So those are the important things for people to be aware of. It's one of the most contagious diseases on planet Earth. I want to go through some of the numbers with you. So the partnership... To fight infectious disease commissioned this national poll recently about inoculations and I want your reaction to some of it. So 89% said that vaccines are essential to public health, including 82% of Republicans and 97% of Democrats. So as a former congressman, where do you see room for both parties to work together? I can't believe we're in the day and age where politics is mixed with health. Yeah. And maybe that's part of the problem. So let me just start by saying if you are looking for information about this, don't don't look to your political leaders, but talk to your doctor. Your doctor is the one who has your health closest to their heart. And I think your doctor's advice would be best. But look, I represented an area that I know that vaccine hesitancy in my part of North Texas has been a thing long before COVID. It wasn't just the COVID outbreak that started people's concern. But it's changed now because, as you say, measles is so highly infective. And one of the other problems is you can have it for up to four days before you have any symptoms. So some might say, well, if I'm sick, I'll stay home and I won't bother anyone else. But you might not know and so you might expose someone and then who are the people who are most at risk? Very young infants who can't be vaccinated, pregnant women who are not immune cannot be vaccinated during their pregnancy and someone with a depressed immune system. So lowering the overall Lowering the overall rate in the general population is important. Dr. Burgess, after you left Congress, there were a lot of reports out there that the White House was considering that you lead the CDC under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I'm curious, do you ever speak with him about the job? If so, do you agree or disagree when it comes to his stance on vaccines? I hate to put you on the spot, but it's important. Look, that ship sailed many, many months ago. And True enough, I think I would have a different opinion than the current health secretary. That's nothing new. I disagreed with the previous health secretary of long and loud in several committee hearings that we had. But look, this is one where, and this is important for people to bear in mind because there were some press conferences that might have led you to think that, well, there's a federal mandate for this vaccine. There is not. It's your school district, it's your state. These are where the vaccine requirements exist. It's not at a federal policy level. So the vaccine exemptions that are given in a state or in a school district, these are the ones that may need to come under closer scrutiny if indeed measles vaccination elimination, sorry, measles virus elimination status is no longer required. In this country, you alluded to this a little bit earlier in one of your answers that you need to listen to physicians and your own practitioners and providers versus politicians. With your medical background and with your expertise being a physician, what would you say directly to parents about the vaccine and people who are skeptical about getting the measles vaccine for their kids? Well, the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective. It's been around since, what, the mid-1960s, and between the time that it was introduced and the year 2000, measles cases came down every year to where it was virtually eliminated in this country after the year 2000. Now it apparently is coming back, and people need to be aware of this. I mean, in a way, we were a victim of our own success because measles vaccines were We're so, I don't know, So prevalent and the immunity was so prevalent that people just kind of forgot that this is an important illness and one you need to be aware of. Well, now it is making a return, not because the virus has changed, not because there's a new strain, but because people have simply not availed themselves of having the available vaccine. Now, I think both Secretary Kennedy and his administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Oz. On Sunday shows during this past fall, both reiterated that the measles vaccine is safe and effective, and it is. And you should talk to your doctor, and you should probably take it if you're not immune. I've got about 30 seconds left, I wanna squeeze in, what if adults are unsure of where their vaccination records are on that? Where can they find that? How do people get up to date records? Well, your doc can do a blood test for measles to tell if you have immunity. But you know what? If there's any doubt, just take the vaccine. It's not going to hurt to have a second vaccine if you're already immune. So this is one of those things where it's better to be safe than sorry. Dr. Michael Burgess, a physician and a former Texas congressman, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate you joining the show today.