Dr. Deborah Brix, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator during President Donald Trump's first term, told Newsmax on Tuesday that the measles outbreak in the U.S. this year is the result of unvaccinated individuals, including adults.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data as of June 24 showed 1,227 confirmed measles cases reported in 36 states. In all of 2024, the CDC said there were just 285 cases in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The cases this year are the most since 2019, when there were 1,274 in 31 states, and the second most since 1992, according to the CDC. Measles has not been endemic, or continuously present, in the U.S. since 2000.

“The last time we saw this level of cases was 2019,” Birx told “American Agenda." “And it started in a population that was unvaccinated. So, these are unvaccinated populations that start these very broad spread epidemics. So, it was Hasidic Jews in New York City [in 2019]. It was then Mennonites in Texas [this year].

“The counties around them have actually held [the spread] because [they] have 95% vaccination rates in the counties around Gaines County and Texas. So, it's really a great illustration of what happens when no one is vaccinated and how broadly it spreads.”

The CDC data showed that 33% of the outbreaks this year were among those aged 20 and over, with 37% among those aged 5-19 and 29% of those aged under 5. Just 12% of all cases resulted in hospitalizations with three confirmed deaths from the disease.

“When it gets into these populations that are not vaccinated at all, you see these incredible number of cases because it's so contagious,” Birx said. “And unlike COVID, the incubation period is two weeks, and so you think you're out of the window and you go and start visiting people again, and your child is actually infected and spreading the virus. Not intentionally. But we haven't really spent a lot of time talking about this long incubation period and that the kids are highly contagious before the rash.”

Measles usually starts with a fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes that lead to a rash, the CDC said. An infected person will have trouble breathing or experience pain when breathing or coughing; will be dehydrated, with dry nose and infrequent urination; have a persistent fever or headache; and young children will have a blue color around their mouths, have low energy, with difficulty feeding.

The CDC urged anyone ill who gets rapidly worse or has any of these symptoms be taken to a hospital emergency room immediately.

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