William Brangham:
Joining me now to discuss this outbreak and other issues concerning vaccines is Caitlin Rivers. She’s senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and author of “”Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks.”
Caitlin Rivers, so good to have you back on the “News Hour.”
So this outbreak is in a rural part of Texas in an area with fairly low vaccination rates. This is now the third such outbreak this year. How concerning is this to you?
Caitlin Rivers, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security: It is a concerning outbreak because of the logistical challenges you mentioned.
Moreover, measles is one of the most contagious viruses known to humanity, and so it’s very difficult to control. And so I do expect we will see more cases in the weeks ahead, but really hope that health officials are able to bring it under control sooner, rather than later.
