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State Officials Declare West Texas Measles Outbreak Over
Today the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) announced it had been more than 42 days (double measles’ maximum incubation period) since West Texas counties reported a new measles case, bringing an official end to one of the country’s largest measles outbreaks in recent decades.
As of today, 762 cases of measles have been confirmed in the outbreak since late January, with more than two thirds of the cases in children. Ninety-nine people (13%) were hospitalized over the course of the outbreak, and there were two fatalities in school-aged children, according to the statement from the DSHS.
“I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford, MD, MPH. “I also want to recognize the many health care professionals who identified and treated cases of a virus that most providers had never seen in person before this outbreak.”
Study Supports Evidence That Prenatal Acetaminophen Use May Be Linked to Increased Risk of Autism and ADHD
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in children. The study, published Aug. 14 in BMC Environmental Health, is the first to apply the rigorous Navigation Guide methodology to systematically evaluate the rigor and quality of the scientific literature.
Acetaminophen (often sold under the brand name Tylenol®, and known as paracetamol outside the U.S. and Canada) is the most commonly used over-the-counter pain and fever medication during pregnancy and is used by more than half of pregnant women worldwide.
Until now, acetaminophen has been considered the safest option for managing headache, fever, and other pain. Analysis by the Mount Sinai-led team of 46 studies incorporating data from more than 100,000 participants across multiple countries challenges this perception and underscores the need for both caution and further study.
California Moms Continue Legal Fight Against State Law Removing Religious Exemptions for School Vaccinations
Four California mothers have escalated their challenge against a 2016 law that eliminates religious exemptions for school vaccinations, arguing the law violates their First Amendment rights.
Backed by attorneys with Advocates for Faith & Freedom, Sara Royce, Sarah Clark, Tiffany Brown and Kristi Caraway filed an appeal on Aug. 8 with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, after a U.S. District Court dismissed their claims in 2023, which the mothers assert was based on an incorrect legal standard. The plaintiffs contend that SB 277 unfairly targets their religious beliefs while permitting numerous secular exemptions, forcing them to choose between their faith and their children’s access to education.
SB 277, signed into law by then-Gov. Jerry Brown after passing the Democrat-controlled California Legislature, repealed personal belief exemptions, including those based on religious convictions, which had been allowed since 1961. Only medically valid exemptions, such as pre-existing disorders that could pose risks if a person receives one of the immunizations for Hepatitis B, polio, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP), or other common childhood vaccines, are allowed under the law.
The mothers, who filed their initial lawsuit in November 2023, argue that their religious objections — rooted in concerns about vaccines developed using aborted fetal cells — prevent them from complying, effectively barring their children from attending schools.
Vaccine Exemption Requests in Texas Spike in July, as Some Experts Fear More Families Will Opt Out
Texas school districts are coming back from summer with a rising number of parents asking for vaccine exemption forms and a new law that will make those documents even easier to obtain.
Combined with funding cuts to public vaccination programs, chilling effects of immigration policies on health care, and the wearying battle by school nurses to balance parental consent and overall student body health, Texas schools are on track to have the lowest vaccination rates in decades if exemption rates continue to climb.
“I do think that there is a problem — period — that is worse than we have known about previously,” said Terri Burke, executive director of The Immunization Partnership, which advocates for public policies that support increased access to vaccines.
Since 2018, the requests to the Texas Department of State Health Services for a vaccine exemption form have doubled from 45,900 to more than 93,000 in 2024.
In July, ahead of the new school year, the state received 17,197 requests for a vaccine exemption form, 36% higher than the number reported in July 2023. Because each requestor can have forms for up to eight individuals, the number of children those forms covered also soared — 23,231 in July 2023 compared to 30,596 in July 2025.
Fewer Ohio Kindergarteners Meeting Vaccine Requirements
Public health officials are increasing efforts to help students meet vaccine requirements before heading back to school.
Data from the Ohio Department of Health shows a decline in kindergarteners meeting all vaccine requirements since 2019. That number has dropped about 5% in the last 5 years. According to the CDC, this is a nationwide trend.
Columbus’ Public Health commissioner said these vaccines are essential to a safe school year.
“We’ve definitely seen a decrease in our vaccine rates across our community over the last few years, which has been concerning,” Dr. Mysheika Roberts said.
How New Mexico Health Workers Are Getting More Kids Vaccinated for Back to School
Recent numbers posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that nationwide childhood vaccination rates have continued a downward trend, with some states faring better than others.
To learn more about how community health workers can leverage real-time lessons from back-to-school season into the fall, Public Good News talked with Andrea Romero, manager of the New Mexico Department of Health’s immunization program.
Romero shared why it’s important to engage people across generations through focused messaging strategies. Here’s more of what Romero said.
Sen. Josh Hawley to Probe Meta AI Policies for Children Following Damning Report
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Aug. 15 that he will investigate Meta following a report that the company approved rules allowing artificial intelligence chatbots to have certain “romantic” and “sensual” conversations with children.
Hawley called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to preserve relevant materials, including emails, and said the probe would target “whether Meta’s generative-AI products enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children, and whether Meta misled the public or regulators about its safeguards.”
“Is there anything — ANYTHING – Big Tech won’t do for a quick buck?” Hawley said in a post on X announcing the investigation. Meta declined to comment on Hawley’s letter.
Hawley noted a Reuters report published Thursday that cited an internal document detailing acceptable behaviors from Meta AI chatbots that the company’s staff and contract workers should permit as part of developing and training the software.
The document acquired by Reuters noted that a chatbot would be permitted to hold a romantic conversation with an eight-year-old, telling the child that “every inch of you is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply.”
