public health
MMR vaccination rates have fallen since the pandemic
A new study of more than 2,000 counties across the country shows that 78% have reported drops in their vaccination rates for measles, mumps, and rubella over the last five years. On average, county-level vaccination rates dropped from 93.92% to 91.26% pre- to post-pandemic, according to the research, published yesterday in JAMA. (A vaccination rate of 95% is the typical public health goal, as that's the level necessary for herd immunity.) Only four out of 33 included states reported an increase in the median county-level vaccination rate: California, Connecticut, Maine, and New York.
The data comes in the wake of the largest measles outbreak the country has seen in decades. Two unvaccinated children in Texas have died, yet the state is currently poised to make it even easier for parents to enroll their kids in school without standard vaccinations like the MMR shot.
on the ground
Q&A: Mass. health commissioner articulates the pain states are feeling
Across the country, some state health officials have publicly toed the Trump party line when speaking about the administration's dismantling of public health infrastructure, including $11.4 billion in funds clawed back from local and state public health departments. "As the federal government continues to cut waste and enhance efficiency, we are confident these changes will not impact our ability to serve Tennesseans," the Tennessee Department of Health told STAT in March, when asked about the cutting of Covid-related federal funding.
But that's not the strategy taken by Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. To Goldstein, these threats are being felt across the country. "The needs that this department has are the same as the Texas department's or the North Dakota department's," he said, when he sat down with STAT's Eric Boodman earlier this spring. "But as a state health officer of a Democratic-leaning state with a Democratic administration and a Democratic state house and a congressional delegation of all Democrats, it is easier for me to articulate the pain we're feeling."
Goldstein spoke with Eric about the challenges of this moment, and how funding cuts will hit each state differently. Read the conversation here.
commercial determinants of health
The secret ingredient making vapes popular with teens
Neotame is an artificial sweetener that's 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than traditional sugar. It's in ice cream, lip gloss, and even sparking water. Now, researchers have found it's also in many flavored vapes, which they warn make these products extra appealing to teens and kids.
A study published yesterday, also in JAMA, found neotame in all 11 of the popular disposable vape brands it tested, including Elf Bar, Breeze, and Mr. Fog. All of these wildly-named products are technically illegal in the U.S., STAT's Sarah Todd reminds us, but they're still widely available at gas stations, convenience stores, and online. The study did not find neotame in the four e-cigarettes it tested that are authorized for sale by the FDA, nor in Juul, which has an application pending with the FDA.
Read more from Sarah about the thorny questions this research raises about the FDA's authority and the Trump administration's plans for cracking down on illegal vaping.
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