A sudden federal funding cut has forced public health officials, one of Texas’ most populous counties, to cancel dozens of vaccination clinics and fire 21 workers to the frontline fighting the state’s growing measles outbreak.
“We’ve seen a lot of people who have had a lot of trouble with their health,” said Dr. Philip Fan, director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department and Health Department. Many of the clinics were planned in schools in local areas where vaccination rates were low, he said.
Vaccines containing shots of measles, mumps and rubella were intended to be given freely to families.
The funds being cut ($11.4 billion nationwide) were originally allocated to support the community’s health sector during the pandemic. Local public health officials have recently used Covid funds for other public health initiatives, including measles prevention, surveillance and testing.
But last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that “we will not waste billions of taxpayer dollars in response to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans have been moving for years.”
“It’s very myopic and doesn’t understand how public health works,” fans said. “Preparing for Covid helps us build our capacity to deal with other issues.”
Huang said his team is still evaluating the exact amounts cut in his budget, but estimates it will be millions.
As of Tuesday, 422 measles had been reported. Texas Department of Health. There’s no one in Dallas County, but fans said Cutt would make his community vulnerable to cases.
He said 11 full-time and 10 part-time staff members were let go. Most were healthcare providers who provided vaccines, epidemiologists and lab staff involved in measles surveillance and prevention.
Staff-operated vaccine clinics in western Texas, which continue to be the epicenter of the measles outbreak, said these clinics are continuing as planned for now.
Other states reported for measles outbreaks include Kansas with 23 cases, 10 cases of Oklahoma and 48 cases of New Mexico. And Ohio’s public health officials have identified at least 12 cases.
