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Texas declared an end to the state’s measles outbreak on Monday, after a surge of infections this year drove the US to its highest rate in three decades. The Texas Department of State Health Services said there have been no new cases in areas with previously high transmission for 42 days, double the virus’s incubation period. Since January, the state has recorded 762 total cases. Two unvaccinated children died from measles-related complications. (Nix, 8/18)

Colorado health officials reported a second case of measles in Mesa County on Monday, deepening concern about possible silent transmission of the virus in the county. (Ingold, 8/19)

The cries of small children echoed throughout the Pikesville Middle School gym last week as scores of parents and children — pre-Kindergarteners through adolescents — waited for their turn to get their shots. No one was thrilled about attending this Aug. 11 back-to-school vaccination clinic, but parents on hand said they believe the required inoculations are necessary to keep their children safe from diseases like polio or measles. (Bazos, 8/18)

Cases of Valley fever are spiking in California, according to health officials. As of the end of July, there were 6,761 cases confirmed — which means if this pace continues, the total 2025 numbers will likely exceed the 12,595 cases seen in 2024. (Rudy, 8/18)

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today announced that it and the state's Department of Environmental Protection are investigating a local malaria case in a resident of Morris County who has no international travel history. If confirmed, the case would mark New Jersey's first locally acquired malaria case since 1991, the NJDOH said. It added that although Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit the disease live in New Jersey, the overall risk of locally acquired malaria remains low. (Schnirring, 8/18)

A federal appeals court has upheld a law strengthening the rights of pregnant workers, vacating a judge’s earlier order that had stripped those protections from Texas state employees. The ruling was a victory for advocates of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a law that passed with bipartisan support in 2022 but quickly became embroiled in controversy over whether it covers workers seeking abortions and fertility treatments. (Olson, 8/18)

When the fall semester begins this month at the University of South Florida, the USF College of Public Health will offer a first-of-its-kind, university-based bachelor's degree in health care simulation operations. The curriculum is offered in conjunction with the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), one of the world’s largest free-standing health care simulation facilities, according to the university. (Wantuck, 8/19)