As a countryside county characterized by lower vaccination rates below the statewide average Humboldt County could also experience a revival of measles. Over the past few months, this highly contagious and previously nearly eliminated illness has returned both within the U.S. and across North America. A breakout in East Texas led to cases spreading to neighboring states and even beyond national borders, affecting hundreds with what was considered almost wiped out due primarily to widespread administration of the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella.
The previous week, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services took action. posted on social media informing residents about where they can acquire MMR vaccinations.
“While many local schools have high vaccine rates, there are some with lower rates, which make them higher-risk for a measles outbreak if there is an exposure to the highly contagious virus locally,” that post explained. “In the instance of an outbreak, if your child is not vaccinated, there is a good chance they will be excluded for school attendance until the outbreak has ended, which may take several weeks. Vaccinated children can continue to attend school during an outbreak in most situations.”
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Candy Stockton explained to the Times-Standard via email that the alert is part of Public Health’s role, providing education and information to the community.
“In recent years, there have been more instances of measles and measles outbreaks across the country, and California is no different,” Stockton said. “Not only do county residents travel outside of the area regularly, but we are about to embark on tourist season locally, and we will have visitors from all over coming to Humboldt.”
Stockton pointed out that measles poses a significant threat particularly to people with compromised immune systems, similar to most diseases. However, this does not imply that other groups remain safe from risk.
People with weakened immune systems and young children typically face the highest risks when dealing with various illnesses, such as measles... However, measles remains a severe infection capable of causing lasting effects even in individuals who were previously healthy," she stated. Stockton highlighted that the two school-aged children in East Texas who passed away due to measles this year during an active outbreak within a predominantly non-vaccinated community did not have any underlying medical issues.
Outbreak spreading
This month, the Associated Press reported That 10 states are seeing a measles outbreak affecting around 900 individuals.
Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee are all currently facing ongoing outbreaks. In 2025, cases were documented across 17 states. as per the World Health Organization .
The CDC reports that the number of confirmed measles cases has reached 884, which is more than triple what was observed throughout all of 2023," according to an AP article written by health journalist Devi Shastri last week. "Of these cases, 646 have occurred in Texas, primarily in the west, where this outbreak is nearing the three-month point. In the central region of West Texas, two unvaccinated young students succumbed to complications related to measles, along with one non-vaccinated adult in New Mexico.
Additionally, ongoing outbreaks in Ontario, Canada, and Chihuahua, Mexico, have infected more than 1,600 people in total. WHO has said that Chihuahua cases have been linked back to the spread of infection from East Texas.
Health care experts have also expressed concerns in the past month regarding United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s antagonism toward vaccines and his unclear messaging surrounding the measles outbreak.
"What we currently lack is a single, unambiguous, powerful message being conveyed consistently from the federal level down to the local level, emphasizing that vaccination is the sole means of preventing measles," stated Patricia Stinchfield, a nurse practitioner and infectious disease specialist instrumental in curbing the 2017 measles outbreak within Minnesota’s Somali population. mentioned to the Associated Press earlier this month .
Humboldt County schools
Stacy Young, who serves as the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Humboldt County Office of Education, informed the Times-Standard that "every district or charter within the county maintains its own specific board policies concerning vaccinations/immunizations; however, all must adhere to a basic minimum requirement." adhere to state requirements in relation to vaccination.
A searchable database for California educational institutions Hosted by the CDPH, which includes the latest available information from the 2021-22 academic year, indicates significant variation in vaccination rates across Humboldt County’s educational institutions. The data reveals that Alder Grove Charter School 2 in Eureka recorded an MMR vaccine coverage rate of just 56.3% for their kindergarten pupils during the same period. In contrast, Coastal Grove Charter located in Arcata showed considerably lower figures, with merely eight out of twenty-six kindergarteners fully immunized against measles, mumps, and rubella, equating to approximately 30.8%. Conversely, Pacific Union and Arcata Elementary boasted higher compliance levels, reporting MMR vaccination rates of 98% and 94.3%, respectively, within this demographic group. It should be noted that herd immunity requires vaccinating around 95% of individuals in order to effectively prevent outbreaks.
Young stated that these numbers might not truly represent what's happening on site.
Following his conversation with HCOE personnel who handle charter schools and data, Young informed the Times-Standard that "vaccination rates are provided voluntarily by (local educational agencies). This means that there may be inaccuracies at the local level which could distort the public data."
“Young further explained that lower vaccination rates could lead to financial consequences, noting that there’s typically no benefit from underreporting, as it often stems from data entry errors.” She also mentioned that "some non-classroom-based charter schools educate certain students solely via an independent study approach. Consequently, for those who do not participate in onsite classes, vaccine requirements do not apply."
This indicates that for our three nearby NCB branches (Northern United-Humboldt, Alder Grove, and Pacific View 2.0), the vaccination rates might be lower.
Effective strategies for the county
"What we understand is that the majority of parents prioritize their children's health immensely and carefully consider vaccinating them," stated Stockton. She pointed out that due to the infrequent occurrence of the illness in recent times, the urgency for vaccination might not have been as apparent to many parents.
Previously, measles was thought to be eliminated in the U.S., so some parents might have opted out of vaccination, believing their kids wouldn't come into contact with the virus," explained Stockton. "These parents may not realize that unvaccinated children could potentially miss school during an outbreak.
We aim to inform everyone that it's not too late to receive vaccinations. Should the rise in measles cases nationwide alter individuals' assessment of vaccine risks versus benefits, or if they're concerned about keeping their children out of school for extended periods during outbreaks causing significant inconvenience, we want these parents to be aware that receiving a vaccination up to 72 hours after potential measles exposure can offer substantial protection—enabling immediate school attendance.
Currently, MMR vaccines can be obtained at 13 local pharmacies that accept private health insurance as per the DHHS. These pharmacies encompass Costco located in Eureka; various CVS outlets in Eureka, Arcata, and McKinleyville; several Rite Aid stores in McKinleyville, Fortuna, and Eureka; multiple Walgreens sites in Eureka; the Redwood Community Pharmacy situated in McKinleyville; along with one Safeway branch in Eureka.
Families with queries regarding vaccinations ought to reach out to their child's main healthcare provider. Alternatively, they may dial Public Health and converse with a nurse capable of addressing their concerns. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Public Health division stands ready to help eligible families obtain pediatric vaccines. Additionally, they can supply information and direction on locations where parents can have their children immunized.
Reductions in federal funding imply that the responsibility falls on local residents to lend a hand.
Even as the DHHS is exerting significant efforts to curb the spread of measles along with other contagious illnesses, Stockton pointed out that reductions at the federal level Announcements made in late March have affected the agency.
While we understood that the COVID funding wasn’t meant to endure indefinitely, parts of it were designed to sustain us over the coming year," stated Sofia Pereira, director of Humboldt County Public Health, following the announcement from the Trump administration about their plan to suddenly terminate $11.4 billion in support for local and state health organizations and initiatives. "This sudden cutoff of financial aid signifies that we must let go of seven additional personnel members, comprising two public health nurses, two community health outreach workers, one medical office assistant, and two communicable disease investigators. They’ll complete their final workday on April 4th.
Pereira stated back then that cutting funds also implied that investing $1.2 million in the county’s Public Health Laboratory was unfeasible. He added that ending pandemic-related financial assistance had supported responses not just to COVID-19 but also to other infectious diseases like the measles incident in May and the Shigella outbreak in September.
Due to recent reductions in federal funds for public health infrastructure, components of our local Public Health system have been dismantled," Stockton explained. "This includes our additional support mobile clinic unit and several disease investigation teams. These personnel were crucial for vaccine distribution efforts as well as managing responses to epidemics and urgent health risks. For instance, they prevented what could have turned into a measles outbreak affecting more than 100 individuals back in May.
In this case, we didn’t see any new cases stemming from the initial exposure largely due to our nursing staff and disease investigators working tirelessly day and night to reach out to each person affected and administer necessary post-exposure treatment. The collaboration between these individuals and the broader community played a crucial role in achieving this outcome. While our team remains committed to addressing and preventing future disease outbreaks, recent departures within our group mean we’ll rely even more heavily on support from the public. Should another local epidemic occur, your adherence to preventive measures will be essential.
Robert Schaulis can be contacted at 707-441-0585.
Comments
Post a Comment