What school-level vax rates tell us about the Texas measles outbreak

Receive your daily update on health and medicine each weekday with STAT’s complimentary newsletter, Morning Rounds. Join here.

Good morning. Today, I’ll be tuning in to the Supreme Court’s oral arguments regarding conversion therapy and free speech. Feel free to share your questions, comments, or concerns: [emailprotected]

O’Neill endorses ACIP recommendations while echoing Trump on MMR vaccinations

CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill has approved guidance allowing individuals over 6 months old to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine after consulting with a healthcare provider. O’Neill also sanctioned a recommendation that children younger than 4 receive separate doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the chickenpox vaccine, instead of the combination vaccine. For further details on implications for insurance and more, check out STAT’s Anil Oza and Chelsea Cirruzzo’s report here.

While these recommendations were finalized over two weeks ago, the announcement was only shared yesterday, leaving some vaccine program experts unaware and putting low-income children at risk of limited access.

O’Neill also suggested on X yesterday that the MMR vaccine should be administered as three separate shots, without explaining the reasoning. The post referenced a previous message from President Trump. Anil has more on the background of this call from conservatives and what the scientific evidence indicates.

Nobel Prize in Physics awarded for quantum mechanics breakthroughs

Three scientists renowned for their work demonstrating that quantum mechanics extend beyond the subatomic realm have been honored with the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics. The awardees include John Clarke from UC Berkeley, Michel Devoret from Yale University and UC Santa Barbara, and John Martinis from UCSB.

For decades, it was accepted that quantum phenomena could be observed at the scale of individual particles, but it remained unclear how large a system could be while still displaying these effects. Through their work starting in the 1980s, these researchers showcased that quantum mechanics could manifest in a large enough electrical circuit to be held in hand, expanding our understanding into macroscopic realms. As Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, stated at Tuesday’s announcement, they revealed how these phenomena exist “in new vistas outside the realm of the microcosmos.”

The trio will divide a prize sum of 11 million Swedish kronor, or $1.17 million, among them. Historically, the physics Nobel has recognized 226 individuals since its inception in 1901, including a mere five women. — AndrewJoseph

When Trump’s Tylenol comments bolster business

In a recent warning, President Trump advised that pregnant women and children should avoid Tylenol, a suggestion many medical experts contest due to insufficient evidence linking the medication to autism. As reported by STAT’s Sarah Todd, this statement provided a boon for the wellness industry as they seized the moment for profit.

“Wellness influencers are adept at leveraging fear, even instances of fear they have helped create,” noted wellness critic Mallory DeMille via Instagram. Medical professionals express concern that children may turn to unregulated and poorly researched homeopathic products as substitutes while the companies and influencers profit from parental worries, thereby eroding trust in evidence-based medicine. For further insights on the “clean medicine” trend and the slippery slope of supplements, read more from Sarah.

Gotta catch ’em all: The medical license edition

Traditionally, doctors would obtain a single medical license in the state where they practice, with those holding multiple licenses being quite rare. However, this trend has evolved post-COVID, as patients increasingly seek care online. STAT’s Katie Palmer highlights in part two of The Virtual Rx Boom how the pursuit for multi-state licensure among physicians has skyrocketed to cater to the expanding telehealth industry.

Importantly, these physicians are not acquiring licenses just to extend their ability to practice; many are affiliated with nationwide telehealth firms. Attorney Bradford Adatto explains, “The telemedicine clients I engage with are pushing to expand into the states as quickly as possible and to hire more personnel due to significant demand.” By 2024, 172 doctors had achieved active licensure across all 50 states, while another 356 had garnered permits in at least 45 states, considerably outpacing overall growth rates in the profession. Dive deeper into this fascinating development and be sure to explore part 2, along with the first installment here if you haven’t yet.

Insights from school-level vaccination rates amid Texas measles outbreak

This year, a measles outbreak primarily affecting West Texas and neighboring states resulted in over 760 cases and two fatalities. A staggering 93% of infected individuals were unvaccinated. Despite Texas kindergarteners being generally well-vaccinated against measles, a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shed light on how county- and school-level vaccination rates can present a contrasting narrative.

There are school districts and private institutions exhibiting “alarmingly low” MMR vaccination rates situated in counties with overall vaccination rates that meet or even exceed the 95% public health threshold necessary for measles eradication. For instance, Gaines County, the center of this year’s outbreak, reported 82% coverage; however, vaccination rates within schools in that county fluctuated between 46% and 94%. Likewise, Terry County had a rate of 95.5%, with individual school statistics displaying rates between 46% and 97%.

Children can easily spread germs. A single measles case in a school with only 85% vaccination coverage could lead to a school-wide outbreak, as noted in the study. Although the CDC shares only state-level vaccination data, the authors advocate for collecting and disseminating more detailed data to identify at-risk communities and effectively address localized vaccine hesitancy. Meanwhile, Texas has made it increasingly easier for parents to exempt their children from mandatory vaccinations.

Federal scientific and bioethics advisory boards dismantled

Since January, President Trump’s administration has dissolved nearly four dozen advisory committees that provided guidance to several agencies within HHS. These groups focused on matters such as hospital infection control, recommendations for long Covid research, and evaluating which genetic conditions newborns should undergo screening for. Over half of the disbanded committees included panels of external experts chosen by the NIH to review grant proposals on specialized issues unique to their respective institutes.

“This trend reflects a preference for individuals who align with a political orthodoxy over those who adhere to scientific evidence and rationale,” stated Lawrence Gostin, who was removed from an advisory board for the Fogarty International Center. Just weeks prior to his dismissal, Gostin had met with Bhattacharya during a dinner for the center to advocate for continued funding. Read more in STAT’s report by Megan Molteni, along with additional insights from Anil. (Anil achieves a hat trick in today’s newsletter!)

What we’re reading

• Psychiatrists urge the replacement of RFK Jr. as health secretary, NPR

• Doctors more likely to exit clinical practice, MedPage Today

• First Opinion: Clarifying RFK Jr.’s misconceptions about medical education and nutrition, STAT
• Costco begins offering discounts on weight-loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy, Washington Post
• From the archives: Explore how Biogen utilized an FDA back channel to obtain approval for its controversial Alzheimer’s drug, STAT