From the Texas Medical Association
As kids are returning to school, physicians have an important reminder for parents: Make sure your children are up to date on all immunizations.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has a list of required vaccines by grade level.
For Texas Medical Association (TMA) physicians, the aim is to keep people healthy. Doctors stress the importance of getting vaccinated because vaccines defend people from dangerous diseases that can cause them harm. If enough people in a group – such as a classroom or school – are vaccinated, that lessens the likelihood a disease will spread there.
“The more people are not vaccinated the more that protection is eroded, and we unfortunately can see examples of that across our state when we see outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases where the coverage rates are lower,” said Jason Terk, MD, a pediatrician in Keller and former chair of the Texas Public Health Coalition.
As a result, diseases once curbed by vaccines – such as measles and pertussis – are spreading.
This year 376 cases of pertussis – or whooping cough – have been reported in Texas, more than double the number reported in 2023. Dr. Terk said whooping cough is extremely unpleasant because the patient can cough for a couple of months or even longer. It is a contagious disease that can be prevented with the tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis vaccine (either DTaP or Tdap, depending on the individual’s age). Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for infants.
Texas also is seeing an increase in the number of meningococcal disease cases, according to DSHS. The vaccine-preventable disease can infect the lining of the brain and spinal cord and cause swelling that requires hospitalization to be treated.
While no measles case have been reported in Texas so far this year, outbreaks have hit several states according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Across the U.S., 211 cases of measles have been reported so far this year, 87% of which in people who are unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status.
The measles-mumps-rubella immunization coverage in Texas is under the 95% needed for adequate protection in an area, called “community immunity” (sometimes called “herd immunity”).
Community immunity occurs when enough people have been vaccinated for the community to curb spread of a disease and help protect those who cannot be vaccinated, like young infants.
“Measles is a really scary disease because it’s so incredibly contagious,” said Dr. Terk, who also chaired TMA’s Council on Science and Public Health. “The virus tends to hang around the environment. If an individual with measles has been in a particular space, that space in and of itself is going to be contagious for an hour after they leave.”
Nine in 10 unvaccinated people exposed to the virus that causes measles will become infected, Dr. Terk said.
Parents should ask their physicians now about immunizations if they have not done so yet, Dr. Terk suggested, because ideally, they want to ensure their children get all necessary vaccines before school starts.
TMA’s Vaccines Defend What Matters page also has information and resources for parents regarding vaccinations.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 57,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
