VACCINES AND OUTBREAKS +++ +++ +

VACCINES AND OUTBREAKS The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Takes Vaccine Guidelines Into Its Own Hands https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/04/14/maryland-severs-vaccine-ties-with-federal-government-in-newly-signed-law/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fcjI6Qi71jlUmd1Gu8LV3A7ksiWfx0R6pg7S7IqhWwNWoiIoPijMuUPqfQkuYvAH73SbpQEEMahrAEeeQInJXJ6sLew&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email As of July 1, a new law will allow the state of Maryland to determine what vaccines can be administered to individuals at least seven years of age, while also reducing certain out-of-pocket costs for families. Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed the “Vax Act,” officially decoupling the state’s vaccine policy from shifting federal guidelines. (Chingarande, 4/14) CIDRAP: Vaccine Skepticism Now The Norm For Many Americans https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/vaccine-skepticism-now-norm-many-americans?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9qMgBk1gNfmcQ-cgSyJIfYLHqb4CLQSYm7EnMA7Uwtr22omklnsqfaU7rmhsX2pW2PhPr5IKZUUu69GJaSlf3tYL3sAQ&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email A new poll today in Politico suggests that vaccine skepticism is now just as prevalent as vaccine confidence for Americans, with one-third of respondents reporting they see reducing vaccines as a core principle of the Make America Healthy Again movement. Overall, 46% of poll respondents said facts on vaccines are still up for debate and it is damaging to enforce their uptake. Thirty-nine percent said science on vaccines is clear and it is damaging to question it. Results were further split daily neatly down political lines, with Trump supporters the most likely to question vaccine safety and argue against vaccine mandates. (Soucheray, 4/14) San Francisco Chronicle: Measles Cases Jump In California, Led By Sacramento Outbreak https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/measles-outbreak-california-2026-22206655.php?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_TtPCbhy89fZ1VcdVgvC9o2YVYV2SRLEF2PJEYT_2VTuFf9SLS65FYQTeJY4Eep0C_fOHwcFaxhk2kS5id4vnDilWeCQ&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email A measles outbreak in the Sacramento region, the third and largest in California so far this year, has brought the state’s year-to-date measles cases to 39 — far surpassing yearly totals for the last several years. The ongoing outbreak in Sacramento and Placer counties, which began in late February and has grown to 17 cases — including four new cases over the past week — will likely continue another 21 days, the incubation period for measles, state health officials said Tuesday. (Ho, 4/14) Bloomberg: US Faces $7.8 Billion Measles Risk As Shots Decline, Study Finds https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-14/us-faces-7-8-billion-measles-risk-as-vaccination-rates-decline-study-finds?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--MUgLy07dA8zPC1Vy16duoUHC9H6r2lwmjMq5TMhR3hCHz0RRCn5m0AOLRnoobyL23xnkaz5mxejfq2njIYrMPCUEUDA&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email A sustained drop in childhood vaccinations could cost the US about $7.8 billion in measles outbreaks over five years, a new study found. The warning comes as vaccine policy and public confidence face fresh pressure under the second Trump administration. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved to reshape a key federal vaccine advisory panel, raising concerns among public health experts, while the US is already seeing more than 1,700 measles cases this year. (Gale, 4/15) CIDRAP: New Research Highlights Strong Benefits Of HPV Vaccines Beyond Cervical Cancer https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/human-papillomavirus-hpv/new-research-highlights-strong-benefits-hpv-vaccines-beyond-cervical?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Ji2NPa-KX9qzON1r2lgoSjwgSXYtw6otLmRIM9LQzQcbSlGvBDDwEUSKBxal-XSVCags970MAU6UsdU0JnuLf83bjnQ&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email Twenty years after the approval of the first vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV), studies continue to find new benefits. Although HPV vaccines are best known for preventing cervical cancer in women, a large new study shows that the shots are also associated with a dramatic drop in the risk of HPV-related cancers in men and boys, too. (Szabo, 4/14) CIDRAP: Papers Spotlight Rise Of Valley Fever In Kids In California, Lengthy Treatment https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/valley-fever/papers-spotlight-rise-valley-fever-kids-california-lengthy-treatment?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_hYoCb5nH9Pru6jxSOI61ZSrUWecn9wj_4CUMmTRzYXTI5xWbBXh8UPhwZCFyf6xGLCbht76Q-aths7sGdf6G0YdZL8g&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email Coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever, is increasingly prevalent in California, but cases in children are not as well described as those in adults. Two recent studies describe the clinical features of the disease in pediatric patients and the clinical picture of treatment. (Soucheray, 4/14) Becker's Hospital Review: Rates Of Drug-Resistant Shigellosis On Rise: CDC https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/infection-control/rates-of-drug-resistant-shigellosis-on-rise-cdc/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8pMlyB55dQN7e6C88FI0Tr-JANKNcXi7xZ3koub0zUbgFE0h6_kQnylQLUIfMCTfckCh3lAXeVGB0i1FTOSjFzOKQpPA&_hsmi=413868208&utm_content=413868208&utm_source=hs_email Cases of extensively drug-resistant shigella infections rose from 0% in 2011 to 8.5% in 2023, according to an April 9 CDC brief. Shigellosis is a diarrheal illness caused by bacteria that is spread through fecal-oral transmission and sexual contact. Antibiotics are indicated for severe illness or to reduce high-risk for spread, though most cases are self-limited. Currently, there are no FDA-approved oral treatments available. (Taylor, 4/14)