(NEW YORK) — The number of measles cases in the U.S. has risen to 884, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Friday.
Cases have been confirmed in 29 states including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
At least six states including Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas are reporting outbreaks, meaning three or more related cases.
In Texas, where an outbreak has been spreading in the western part of the state, at least 624 cases have been confirmed as of Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Dr. Marschall Runge, dean of the University of Michigan Medical School and CEO of Michigan Medicine, said the number of cases — at the national level and in Texas — is likely an undercount.
“I think it’s likely that there are a lot of unreported cases in children who weren’t particularly sick or didn’t come to medical attention,” he told ABC News.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Whooping cough cases are on the rise in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For the week ending April 12, at least 8,064 whooping cough cases have been recorded nationwide. This is more than double the 3,835 cases recorded at the same time last year.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is especially dangerous for babies and young children, and several deaths have been recorded this year.
In Washington, health officials confirmed a death in a child under age 5, which is the first in the state since 2011. In Louisiana, two young infants have died from whooping within the past seven months. In Idaho, officials reported an adult resident died from whooping cough in February 2025.
“Last year, the United States had about 35,000 cases of pertussis and about 10 deaths, give or take,” Chad Neilsen, head of infection control and prevention for Nemours Children’s Health in Florida, told ABC News. “If we continue this pace, we’ll have close to 70,000 cases of pertussis, making it one of the worst years we’ve seen in the U.S. in quite some time.”
If that occurs, it would be the highest number of whooping cough cases recorded since 1950, CDC data shows.
Whooping cough cases have been recorded in all 50 states, according to Nielsen, who believes the increase in cases is due to a decline in vaccination rates.
A vaccine for whooping cough was introduced in the late 1940s and the number of cases each year has since dropped dramatically, decreasing more than 90% compared to the pre-vaccine era.
Before the vaccine, there were an estimated 200,000 cases annually among children and up to 9,000 children died, according to the CDC.
There are two types of vaccines used today to protect against whooping cough: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccine for babies and children younger age 7 and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccines for children aged 7 and older, adults and pregnant women.
However, vaccination rates have been declining. According to a 2024 provisional CDC report, more than 7% of children between 6 months old and 6 years old who developed whooping cough were unvaccinated. This is much higher than any figure recorded since at least 2021.
Additionally, only 92.3% of kindergarteners were vaccinated against whooping cough in the 2023-24 school year, compared to about 95% before the COVID-19 pandemic began, CDC data shows.
“We think [the lack of vaccinations] is probably the primary driver of these cases right now in the U.S.,” Neilsen said.
He said he believes the reasons for the drop in vaccination rates include misinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccines as well as vaccine fatigue leftover from the pandemic.
These bacteria attach to the cilia in the upper respiratory system and release toxins. The toxins damage the cilia, tiny, hair-like structures found on the surface of cells, and cause the upper airways to swell, according to the CDC.
Whooping cough is spread from person-to-person through coughing and sneezing. Infected people can be contagious for weeks without knowing they have whooping cough.
Early symptoms often resemble a common cold — runny nose, cough and low-grade fever — and typically last for one to two weeks. Symptoms, however, can progress to rapid, violent cough coughing fits that can last up to 12 weeks.
Infants under age one, pregnant women and immunocompromised people are at highest risk, but anybody can develop the condition.
Babies who contract whooping cough may have a cold-like illness, struggle to breathe or have apnea, the CDC said.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics and receiving treatment early can reduce the severity of the infection. Most whooping cough symptoms can be managed at home, according to the CDC.
To drive vaccination rates up, Neilsen said it’s important to explain the seriousness of whooping cough to the public.
“Pertussis, like measles, are not just run-of-the-mill diseases,” he said. “These can cause harm … to some of our youngest people. These are diseases that children get [and] they become extremely ill.”
He said the other important thing is to address the concerns of vaccine-hesitant parents, educating them on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
Nielsen added that people may have forgotten how contagious or life-threatening whooping cough is because of how effective the vaccine has been at reducing cases.
“We’ve got new doctors who have never seen measles, they’ve never seen pertussis,” Neilsen said. “It was only something they saw on textbooks. The vaccines were so successful.
ABC News Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — During a press conference on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan to start phasing out eight synthetic food dyes in the American food supply.
HHS and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with food manufacturers to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in foods such as cereal, snacks, ice creams and yogurts.
Kennedy has previously been vocal about his opposition to artificial dyes, claiming they are harmful and calling for them to be removed from foods and beverages.
Studies have linked dyes to behavioral changes as well as to cancer in animals, suggesting this may extend to humans.
Some nutritionists and dietitians say that it’s best to avoid artificial food dyes, while others say more research needs to be done and the potential negative effects are still unclear.
What are synthetic dyes and where are they found?
Many years ago, some synthetic dyes were produced from by-products of coal processing, according to the FDA. Today, many dyes are petroleum-based and made through chemical processes.
They appear in many different types of foods including candies, ice cream, frozen desserts, crackers, chips, energy bars, cereals, beverages and more.
Halle Saperstein, a clinical dietitian at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, told ABC News her research has found there are about 36,000 products with Red No. 40, about 8,000 products that contain Red No. 3 and about one in 10 products that contain another type of synthetic food dye.
“The other thing to note is that many products contain multiple petroleum food dyes, not just one specific one,” she said.
Sandra Zhang, a registered dietician nutritionist and pediatric dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said synthetic dyes are very prevalent and are mostly used in packaged, processed foods that can be found in supermarkets and grocery stores.
“Synthetic food dyes are not found in nature, so they are man-made entirely,” Zhang said. “And so, they have no nutritional properties or benefits whatsoever. They are made only to enhance the appearance of foods.”
What have studies shown?
Research has suggested that some synthetic food dyes may be associated with behavioral issues in children and teenagers.
A 2012 meta-analysis from Oregon Health and Science University found artificial food colors may affect children’s behavior and exacerbate symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Another 2012 study found artificial food coloring is not a major cause of ADHD but can affect children whether or not they are diagnosed with the condition.
Additionally, a 2022 analysis from the California Environmental Protection Agency and two California universities found that there may be an association between synthetic food dyes and behavioral issues even in children without a diagnosed behavioral disorder.
In 2019, the FDA said an advisory committee did not establish a “causal link” between synthetic color additives and behavioral effects, but did recommend further research on the issue.
Are synthetic food dyes safe?
Experts are divided on the issue. Saperstein said she sees a credible link between behavior and synthetic food dye consumption based on the studies she’s read.
Zhang said she’s not sure if there’s a link between behavioral issues and synthetic food dyes and that more research needs to be done.
“At least from my patient care experience, I’m not observing … a kid consuming Gatorade every day makes a huge difference” in their behavior, she said.
She added, however, that scientific research linking dyes to neurobehavioral changes was done on animals.
Whether or not synthetic dyes are safe to consume, experts agree it is best to limit artificial food coloring consumption when possible.
Jennifer Pomeranz, an associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, said she believes there is no need for artificial food dyes in the food supply because they don’t act as preservatives and they don’t have any nutritional benefits.
“There are natural dyes that [companies] can use,” she said. “And frankly, there’s really no need for such a brightly colored food supply.”
Earlier this year, under the administration of former President Joe Biden, the FDA said it was moving to ban the use of Red No. 3 in foods, beverages and medications after it was found to cause cancer in rats.
On the heels of Kennedy’s Tuesday announcement about eliminating other synthetic dyes, the International Association of Color Manufacturers, the trade association for the color additives industry, released a statement criticizing the HHS decision.
“Color additives have been rigorously reviewed by global health authorities, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, with no safety concerns,” the statement read. “Requiring reformulation by the end of 2026 ignores scientific evidence and underestimates the complexity of food production”
What about natural alternatives?
During Tuesday’s press conference, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary mentioned watermelon juice and carrot juice as natural alternatives to synthetic dyes.
Some food manufacturers use concentrated forms of natural pigments found in fruits and plants — such as beets, blackberries, paprika, saffron, tamarind and turmeric — as dyes.
As the food industry shifts to natural dyes, more research should be done to study their safety and to formulate regulations on the concentration levels, Zhang said.
The FDA said on Tuesday it is fast-tracking the review of four new natural color additives: calcium phosphate, Galdieria extract blue, gardenia blue and butterfly pea flower extract.
Gardenia blue and butterfly pea flower extract come from plants, Galdieria extract blue comes from algae and calcium phosphate is a chemical compound.
Expert say food companies use synthetic dyes to color their products because they are cheaper compared to natural dyes. Some companies have stated their products are safe for consumption, and they are following federal standards set by the FDA.
Saperstein said another reason companies might use synthetic dyes is psychological, because people are more drawn to brightly colored foods than foods with muted colors.
“We’ve seen stories of companies switching [to natural dyes] and they feel it’s not bright enough, so they switch back,” Pomeranz said.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday a series of measures to phase out eight artificial food dyes and colorings from America’s food supply by the end of next year.
Speaking at a news conference, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said the agencies are looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in cereal, ice cream, snacks, yogurts and more.
“Today, the FDA is taking action to remove petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply and from medications. For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals,” he told reporters. “The FDA is also announcing plans today to authorize four additional natural color additives using natural ingredients in the coming weeks, while also accelerating the review and approval of other natural ingredient colors.”
Makary claimed studies have found a like between petroleum-based synthetic dyes and health conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obesity, diabetes, cancer and gastrointestinal issues.
‘Why are we taking a gamble?” he said. “While America’s children are sick and suffering, 41% of children have at least have at least one health condition, and one in five are on medication. The answer is not more Ozempic, more ADHD medication and more antidepressants. There’s a role for those medications, but we have to look at underlying root causes.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was also due to speak at the news conference.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration in January started the process to ban one artificial dye, Red No. 3, which will need to be removed from food by January 2027 and from medications by 2028 because it was shown to cause cancer in rats.
Kennedy is now seeking to remove the six other petroleum-based dyes approved by the FDA. This includes Green No. 3, Citrus Red No. 2, Red No. 40, Orange B, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2. The agency is also taking steps to revoke the authorization for two synthetic food colorings — Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B — within the coming months.
The department is also authorizing four new natural color additives.
It is not yet clear what enforcement mechanism Kennedy will seek to implement the new changes.
The timeline to phase out synthetic dyes comes after Kennedy told food industry leaders at a meeting last month that he wanted their companies to remove artificial dyes from their products by the end of his four-year term, according to a memo describing the meeting, which was obtained by ABC News.
Kennedy’s announcement Tuesday speeds up that process — and alert companies that Kennedy intends to make good on his warning quickly.
From candy to breakfast cereal to medication, synthetic food dyes are in a wide range of products that Americans consume. Studies suggest their vibrant color makes food more appealing and could even increase appetite.
The health effects of the dyes are not fully understood, but many other countries have either banned the additives outright or required food packaging warning labels about the health risks.
All dyes have the potential to spark allergic reactions for a small minority. Several dyes have been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children or have been shown to cause cancer in mice or rats — but none have shown to cause cancer in humans.
Already, red and blue states alike have taken matters into their own hands in removing artificial food dyes from certain foods. Both West Virginia and California have passed laws to ban a handful of food dyes from school lunches, with plans to extend the ban to a broader, statewide level too.
In West Virginia, the ban on artificial dyes in school lunch will go into effect in August, making it the first state in the country to implement such restraints. In California, it will take effect in 2028.
Twenty-six other states, from Iowa to Washington and from to Texas to Vermont, are considering similar legislation around banning food dyes or other chemical additives in foods, according to a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that focuses on chemicals and toxins.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment within California’s Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 concluded a two-year study into seven synthetic food dyes that found associations with certain neurobehavioral outcomes in some children.
Researchers also found that the FDA’s current level of “acceptable daily intake” levels for the dyes may be too high to protect children from the potential behavioral impact, the report said.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The measles outbreak in western Texas has now reached 624 cases, with 27 new infections confirmed over the last five days.
Nearly all of the cases are among unvaccinated individuals or among those whose vaccination status is unknown, according to new data published by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on Tuesday.
Currently, 10 cases are among residents who have been vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while 12 cases are among those vaccinated with two doses.
At least 64 measles patients have been hospitalized so far, according to the DSHS, with the majority of cases presenting in children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17, followed by children ages 4 and under.
Gaines County, which borders New Mexico, remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 386 cases confirmed so far, DSHS data shows.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will move to phase out the remaining eight artificial food dyes from America’s food supply within two years, his department announced Monday, a significant escalation in his fight to rid the country’s food of additives that studies suggest could be harmful.
Kennedy and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary will offer details on Tuesday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday’s announcement will target artificial dyes that are used in cereal, ice cream, snacks, yogurts and more.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration in January started the process to ban one artificial dye, Red No. 3, which will need to be removed from food by January 2027 and from medications by 2028 because it was shown to cause cancer in rats.
Kennedy will now seek to remove the eight other petroleum-based dyes approved by the FDA.
The secretary is expected on Tuesday to announce the approval of additional natural dyes, a person familiar with the plans told ABC News.
It is not yet clear what enforcement mechanism Kennedy will seek to implement the new changes.
The two-year timeline Kennedy is expected to announce comes after he told food industry leaders at a meeting last month that he wanted their companies to remove artificial dyes from their products by the end of his four-year term, according to a memo describing the meeting, which was obtained by ABC News.
Kennedy’s announcement Tuesday would speed up that process — and alert companies that Kennedy intends to make good on his warning quickly.
From candy to breakfast cereal to medication, synthetic food dyes are in a wide range of products that Americans consume. Studies suggest their vibrant color makes food more appealing and could even increase appetite.
The health effects of the dyes are not fully understood, but many other countries have either banned the additives outright or required food packaging warning labels about the health risks.
All dyes have the potential to spark allergic reactions for a small minority. Several dyes have been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children or have been shown to cause cancer in mice or rats — but none have shown to cause cancer in humans.
Already, red and blue states alike have taken matters into their own hands in removing artificial food dyes from certain foods. Both West Virginia and California have passed laws to ban a handful of food dyes from school lunches, with plans to extend the ban to a broader, statewide level too.
In West Virginia, the ban on artificial dyes in school lunch will go into effect in August, making it the first state in the country to implement such restraints. In California, it will take effect in 2028.
Twenty-six other states, from Iowa to Washington and from to Texas to Vermont, are considering similar legislation around banning food dyes or other chemical additives in foods, according to a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that focuses on chemicals and toxins.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment within California’s Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 concluded a two-year study into seven synthetic food dyes that found associations with certain neurobehavioral outcomes in some children.
Researchers also found that the FDA’s current level of “acceptable daily intake” levels for the dyes may be too high to protect children from the potential behavioral impact, the report said.
(WASHINGTON) — Preventive care health benefits provided at no cost to tens of millions of Americans since 2010 under a popular provision of the Affordable Care Act are in the balance Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices consider whether the government task force behind the mandate to insurers is unconstitutional.
Among the services the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force designates for no-cost coverage under the federal health law are statins to lower cholesterol; colonoscopies for 45- to 49-year-olds; preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine to reduce the spread of HIV; medications to lower the risk of breast cancer for women; and lung cancer screenings for smokers.
The case was brought by a group of employers and individuals who oppose some of the task force’s recommendations for covered services on religious groups, specifically the PrEP medication to prevent HIV. They allege the group’s structure violates the Constitution and lower federal courts agreed.
If the justices uphold the decisions, the task force and its recommendations since 2010 could be invalidated — and along with them the guarantee of no-cost preventive services coverage many people enjoy.
“The case is not the kind of existential threat that we have seen in previous Supreme Court cases involving the ACA, but it’s certainly something that could affect a lot of people,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president at KFF, a nonpartisan health policy group.
At the heart of the dispute is whether the structure of the 16-member task force is illegal under the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. The provision requires “principle officers” of the U.S. government, such as Cabinet secretaries and ambassadors, to be confirmed by the Senate. It stipulates that “inferior officers” who are appointed by Senate-confirmed officials are permissible, provided they are supervised and reviewed.
The plaintiffs allege that members of the task force, who are appointed and supervised by the Health and Human Services secretary, are not properly appointed and have too much power. While they can be removed at will, their recommendations for covered health services cannot be reviewed or overridden by anyone.
“Americans have the constitutionally protected freedom to live and work according to their religious beliefs, and governments exist to defend that freedom,” said Daniel Grabowski, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy group supporting the plaintiffs. “We urge the Supreme Court to restore this accountability within the federal government and to the American people.”
The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the task force unconstitutional and that its recommendations since 2010 be invalidated.
The Trump administration is defending the constitutionality of the task force and the health secretary’s power to oversee the body’s recommendations.
More than 150 million Americans rely on early screenings and interventions for chronic conditions under no-cost preventive services, according to American medical organizations. Public health groups say a decision striking down the task force could deeply affect the long-term health of Americans and disease prevention efforts. Insurers worry that it could inject instability into the insurance market, while hospital groups fear they may have to shoulder more of the burden from people who are sicker.
“The ACA’s preventive services requirement has been a game-changer, providing access to evidence-based preventive care and early detection of serious medical conditions,” said Wayne Turner, a senior attorney at the National Health Law Program, a nonprofit group that advocates for low-income communities. “The ACA’s coverage and cost-sharing protections are especially important for low-income persons, who will be harmed most if the Supreme Court refuses to allow the ACA provision to stand.”
Oral arguments in the case — Kennedy v. Braidwood Management — will be heard at the Supreme Court on Monday. A decision in the case is expected by the end of June.
Web page for https://www.whitehouse.gov/lab-leak-true-origins-of-covid-19/ on April 18, 2025. Via The White House
(WASHINGTON) — The White House has redirected COVID.gov to a new landing page called “Lab Leak: True Origins of COVID-19,” which makes a five-point argument for the theory that COVID-19 originated from a mistaken lab leak in Wuhan, China.
The new site appears to use theories from the final report of the Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, released in December 2024. There has never been a consensus or a “smoking gun” to explain what started the pandemic.
The COVID.gov page, as recently as last week, listed resources for testing, treatment, and vaccination against COVID-19, as well as information for Long COVID.
The five pieces of evidence put forth by the White House for the theory include the following assertions: that the “virus possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature,” that data shows all cases “stem from a single introduction into humans,” that “Wuhan is home to China’s foremost SARS research lab,” that researchers at that research lab “were sick with COVID-like symptoms in the fall of 2019,” and that “if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced.”
The page includes claims that government officials, including former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, helped edit and then amplify a research paper on the origins of COVID-19 published in 2020 that supported natural origin theory.
The current page suggests this paper’s explicit intention was to discredit the lab leak theory and remove any doubt that the origins were of natural origin. This is not a new accusation and in the past Fauci and the paper authors disagreed with the accusations that the paper was manipulated or had any specific goal.
The origins of the pandemic have been hotly debated since its start.
The prevailing theories always seemed to focus on two scenarios: either natural exposure to an infected animal or an accidental lab leak.
With no “smoking gun” and limited access to raw data, discussion of the science has played out in a haze of circumstantial evidence.
In October 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a declassified report on the intelligence community’s views on the origin conundrum, which also leaned toward a natural spillover, but represented divided views. A subsequent declassified report released in 2023 also noted that most of the intelligence community was split on the origins of the pandemic. In reports, US agencies generally agreed that the virus was most likely not developed as a biological weapon and that China’s leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic.
The new splash page features a photo of Fauci and the pardon that former President Joe Biden granted him, highlighting that it was for “any offenses.” The page also accuses federal agencies, including NIH and HHS, of breaking laws and violating rules about transparency and cooperation with Congressional investigation. The agencies complied with FOIA requests and other regulatory requests from the committee and also appeared before lawmakers when asked to testify.
The web page also calls into question the efficacy of social distancing, masking and lockdown. The White House also criticized the response from New York officials.
Fauci testified about the accusations before lawmakers in 2024, saying that accusations about him covering up or influencing research about the lab leak theory are untrue.
“The accusation being circulated that I influenced the scientists to change their minds by bribing them with millions of dollars in grant money is absolutely false, and simply preposterous. I had no input into the content of the published paper,” Fauci said in June of 2024.
“The second issue is a false accusation that I tried to cover up the possibility that the virus originated from a lab. In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite,” Fauci said during that 2024 hearing.
This is not the first time that the White House has made clear its position on the origins of COVID-19. In January, President Trump said that COVID-19 had “strained” his relationship with President Xi Jinping of China.
“But, I like President Xi very much. I’ve always liked him. We always had a very good relationship. It was very strained with COVID coming out of Wuhan. Obviously, that strained it. I’m sure it strained it with a lot of people, but that strained our relationship,” Trump said in remarks to the World Economic Forum.
ABC News’ Eric Strauss, Sony Salzman and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.
(MONTCALM COUNTY, Mich.) — Michigan is reporting the state’s first measles outbreak since 2019, defined as at least three or more related cases, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
Three cases were confirmed in Montcalm County, according to a MDHHS statement.
Almost 25% of children under 3 years of age in Montcalm County have not received their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the MDHHS vaccination data. The state is reporting a total of seven cases so far this year, including those infected in the outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has separately confirmed at least five other states with measles outbreaks, including Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Kansas and Indiana.
Nationwide, there are over 700 measles cases in at least 24 states. That’s the highest number since 2019, which saw 1,274 cases. Texas makes up the bulk of those cases with over 560 infections, including two deaths among unvaccinated school-aged children.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective at preventing measles. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.
In the decade before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, an estimated three to four million people were infected every year, according to the CDC, with between 400 and 500 deaths.
ABC News’ Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — On the heels of a new report showing that rates of autism diagnoses have again increased, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was determined to find the “environmental exposures” behind the rise and directed the National Institute of Health to launch new studies into “everything” — from mold to obesity — that could potentially be a factor.
Kennedy, who prioritizes autism as one of the chronic illnesses he’s determined to tackle in his aim to “Make America Healthy Again,” ardently pushed back against the explanation that a broadening definition of autism spectrum disorder is a meaningful contributor to more autism diagnoses.
Kennedy said he wanted to “move away” from the idea that “the autism prevalence increases — the relentless increases — are simply artifacts of better diagnoses, better recognition or changing diagnostic criteria.”
“This epidemic denial has become a feature in the mainstream media, and it’s based on an industry canard. And obviously there are people who don’t want us to look at environmental exposures,” Kennedy said, speaking at a press conference at the department headquarters on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
The report Kennedy mentioned — published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — estimated that autism prevalence has increased to 1 in 31 children, which Kennedy called “shocking.”
In 2020, the same report found a prevalence of 1 in 36, and over two decades ago in 2000, the rate was 1 in 150.
Experts in the field agree that the rates of diagnoses are increasing and that environmental factors could be at play — but also say most of the increase can be attributed to the expanding definition of autism, which broadened dramatically in recent decades to include subtler features of the illness, including new descriptors as recently as 2013.
“It’s a fair question” to ask why autism prevalence has increased, Dr. Catherine Lord, a psychologist and autism researcher at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, told ABC News, but she said that it’s also important to acknowledge how much has changed.
“There’s been a huge shift in terms of awareness of autism, particularly awareness of autism without severe intellectual disability, that really changed even since I entered this field,” said Lord.
Studies also suggest that autism risk is heavily rooted in genetics, by as much as 80%.
Dr. Walter Zahorodny, a clinical psychologist and professor who studies autism at Rutgers University, joined Kennedy at Tuesday’s press conference to emphasize that there has been a “true increase” in cases, something he said he has seen throughout his career in New Jersey — though he acknowledged, unlike Kennedy, a wider variety of possibilities, from environmental exposures to other “risk factors.”
“It is a true increase. There is better awareness of autism, but better awareness of autism cannot be driving disability like autism to increase by 300% in 20 years,” Zahorodny said, referring to studies from New Jersey and the CDC report.
Zahorodny said finding the cause was crucial and lamented a lack of progress to “address this question seriously” over his career.
“I would urge everyone to consider the likelihood that autism, whether we call it an epidemic, tsunami or a surge of autism, is a real thing that we don’t understand, and it must be triggered or caused by environmental or risk factors,” he said.
Kennedy on Tuesday acknowledged that the increase in autism diagnoses could be in part caused by increased awareness, but said that still left a large portion of the jump in diagnoses unaccounted for.
He called it “indefensible” to accept awareness as the main reason, describing high stakes of ruined families and “individual tragedy.”
“Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this,” Kennedy said. “These are kids who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”
“We have to recognize we are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it,” he added.
Not every case is as severe as Kennedy described, however; many people diagnosed with autism live highly functional adult lives. The recent CDC report found fewer than 40% of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were classified as having an intellectual disability, meaning an IQ of less than 70.
Dr. Barry Prizant, an adjunct professor in the department of communicative disorders at the University of Rhode Island and director of the private practice Childhood Communication Services, told ABC News that Kennedy’s comments misrepresent what autism is like for families.
“I am not dismissing the challenges. There are considerable challenges, and a lot of those are barriers to services,” he said. “We’ve been doing a parent retreat weekend for 27 years, where we spend a weekend with 60 parents and family members, and we’re not meeting with family members and parents who say, ‘Autism is just a tragedy and it’s hell in our lives.’ They talk about the positives and the negatives, the joys as well as the challenges.”
Autism Speaks also released a statement on Wednesday, calling Kennedy comments “extremely disappointing and damaging.”
“Autism is not a preventable condition,” the nonprofit autism organization said. “The suggestion that it is—especially when linked to environmental toxins without scientific evidence—contributes to decades-old misinformation and distracts from the real needs of autistic people and their families.”
Kennedy said the NIH, led by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a former professor at Stanford University, will soon announce a series of new studies aimed at identifying precisely which environmental toxins are to blame. Kennedy cited mold, food, pesticides, medicines, ultrasounds, and the age and health of parents as possible culprits.
Kennedy qualified that the study would provide “some of the answers” by September, which is a variation — welcomed by experts — from his claim to President Donald Trump last week that “by September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic.”
However, he also claimed on Tuesday: “We know it’s an environmental exposure.”
Asked by ABC News if he would commit to following the science revealed by the studies, regardless of his current expectations on what’s causing the rise in diagnosis, the secretary said yes.
“We’re going to follow the science no matter what it says,” he said.
Medical experts have been studying the potential causes of autism for decades. Research to date suggests that autism is driven by genetics, and the risk may increase when paired with certain outside factors, such as having children at an older age or exposure to pollutants.
“It’s not simple,” Lord said. “If you look at high-quality publications, the findings are small and, in terms of causes other than the genetics, have been quite hard to replicate. Not meaning they’re wrong, but just that we haven’t quite figured out what they should be.”
HHS or NIH have not provided details about how the new studies will be conducted within the given timeframe, but Kennedy pledged transparency, saying the studies would be conducted in the traditional way of funding to academic institutions through the NIH.
