米テキサス州ではしか流行 感染者９０人に 大半がワクチン未接種

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米テキサス州は２１日、先月北西部で広がった麻疹（はしか）の感染者が９０人に増加したとするデータを公表した。このうち大多数がワクチンを接種していなかった。感染者はさらに増加するとみられている。（写真は、麻疹、流行性耳下腺炎〈おたふくかぜ〉、風疹の新３種混合〈ＭＭＲ〉ワクチン接種の準備を行う看護師。米ニューヨーク州ロックランド郡で）
　感染が確認されたうち、７７人は子どもで１０人が成人。残り３人は詳細が明らかにされていない。このうち１６人が入院している。
　麻疹は非常に感染力が強く、肺炎や脳炎など、重篤な合併症を引き起こすこともある。
　感染者のうちワクチン接種者はわずか５人で、大多数は未接種か、接種状況が不明となっている。
　米国では、全国で子どものワクチン接種率が低下している。こうした傾向が加速した背景には、新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大時期にｍＲＮＡワクチンの接種促進をめぐる懸念と偽情報が広がり、保健機関に対する一般市民の信頼が低下したことが挙げられる。
　今回、感染の「震源地」となったテキサス州中西部ゲインズ郡では、５７人の感染が確認された。
　テキサス州法では、宗教上の理由などからワクチン接種の免除を申請する権利が認められており、ゲインズ郡には、キリスト教の一派で、昔からワクチン接種に否定的な立場を取るメノナイトの信者が多い。
　米国では折しも、予防接種政策に関して大きな権限を持つ厚生長官にロバート・Ｆ・ケネディ・ジュニア氏が就任したばかり。
　ケネディ氏はワクチン懐疑論者で、麻疹、流行性耳下腺炎（おたふくかぜ）、風疹の新３種混合（ＭＭＲ）ワクチン接種によって自閉症の発症リスクが増加するとの誤った主張を声高に唱えている。この主張は科学的研究によって広く否定されている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/02/25-17:59）

A measles outbreak that began in northwest Texas last month has now sickened 90 people, the vast majority of whom were unvaccinated, according to state data released Friday -- and the figure is expected to rise further.
The outbreak comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begins his tenure as US health secretary, a role that grants him significant authority over immunization policy.
Kennedy, a vocal vaccine skeptic, has repeatedly and falsely linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, a claim widely debunked by scientific research.
At least 77 of the cases in Texas involve children, while 10 are adults, with data unavailable for the remaining three.
Sixteen patients have been hospitalized with the highly contagious disease, which is best known for its rash but can also cause pneumonia, brain swelling and other severe complications.
Only five of the cases have been reported among vaccinated individuals. The majority of patients were unvaccinated, or their vaccination status remains unknown.
Infants are not eligible for their first dose of the MMR vaccine until 12 to 15 months of age, leaving them vulnerable in early life. People with immune-compromising conditions are also at higher risk of severe illness.
Childhood vaccination rates have been declining across the US, a trend that accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic amid concerns over the rapid deployment of mRNA vaccines and widespread misinformation, further eroding public trust in health institutions.
The outbreak epicenter is Gaines County in west-central Texas, which has reported 57 confirmed cases.
Texas law allows vaccine exemptions for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs. The county is home to a significant Mennonite community, a Christian sect that has historically shown vaccine hesitancy.
In 2023, the US reported 285 measles cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The worst recent outbreak occurred in 2019, when 1,274 cases -- mostly within Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey -- resulted in the highest national total in decades.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease infected an estimated three to four million Americans annually, according to the CDC.
While measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, outbreaks continue to occur each year. Globally, the disease remains a major killer, claiming tens of thousands of lives annually.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has postponed a routine meeting of an independent advisory panel that makes vaccine recommendations to the CDC.
The meeting, originally set for February 26-28, was scheduled to discuss vaccines for meningococcal disease, influenza and chikungunya, a viral disease that causes fever and joint pain.
The CDC website now states that the meeting was postponed to accommodate public comment in advance of the meeting, but no new date has been announced.