Texas cities run short of MMR vaccine as measles outbreak drives demand
As measles cases continue to grow in Texas and New Mexico, with a second death, an unvaccinated adult, reported on Thursday, some Texas cities are seeing shortages amid soaring demand for the highly effective vaccine and as the top US health official, Robert F Kennedy Jr, sows disinformation and mistrust about vaccines.
Ann and Paul Clancy were picking up medications at their local Walgreens in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday and decided to ask the pharmacist about getting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The pharmacist said that they were “totally out, and she didn’t know exactly when they would be getting more”, Ann said.
The Clancys wanted to get vaccinated because they have followed the outbreak in the news, including the first measles case detected in Austin last week – an unvaccinated infant who had traveled recently and was not considered part of the wider outbreak of cases.
In addition to keeping themselves safe, the Clancys want to protect their grandchildren and family members with health vulnerabilities.
The pharmacist also mentioned that even doctors’ offices were “having a hard time keeping enough vaccines for kids who needed them”, Ann said.
There are now 198 known cases, 23 hospitalizations and one death from measles in Texas, and 30 known cases and one death in New Mexico.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/texas-mmr-vaccine-measles-outbreak
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