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The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 259, with 36 cases reported over the last three days, according to new data released Friday. Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown. Two cases have occurred in persons vaccinated with two doses, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Breakthrough infections, when a vaccinated person is infected are rare, as the measles vaccine provides up to 97% protection after 2 doses. (Kekatos, 3/14)

Struggling to contain a raging measles epidemic in West Texas, public health officials increasingly worry that residents are relying on unproven remedies endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and postponing doctor visits until the illness has worsened. Hospitals and officials sounded an alarm this week, issuing a notice explaining which measles symptoms warranted immediate medical attention and stressing the importance of timely treatment. (Rosenbluth, 3/15)

"The measles outbreak that we are currently witnessing is the result of misinformation," Dial Hewlett Jr., M.D., medical director of tuberculosis services at the Westchester County Department of Health, said during a media briefing hosted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). "When I was completing my fellowship in the New York area back in the 1980s, the attending physicians said to me, 'You will never see a case of measles.' And so I thought at that time that we were never going to see measles, but we ended up seeing it." (Landi, 3/14)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s failure to install a fellow vaccine critic to a key government post is testing the limits of how far the US health secretary can go to promote his public-health agenda. The White House late Wednesday informed Dave Weldon that officials were pulling his nomination to lead the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after his views on vaccines alarmed key Republican senators. Weldon had been scheduled to attend a Senate panel hearing the following morning, but “there were not the votes” to confirm the nominee, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said. (Cohrs Zhang and Court, 3/14)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Scientist Whose Work Led FDA To Ban Food Dye Says Agency Overstated Risk

When the FDA announced in January, before President Joe Biden’s term ended, that it would ban a dye called red dye No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, the federal agency cited just one 1987 study on rats to support its action. The industry-funded study, based on data from two prior studies, was led by a Virginia toxicologist who said then — and still believes today, decades after concerns first arose that the chemical could be carcinogenic — that his research found the petroleum-derived food coloring doesn’t cause cancer in humans. (Galewitz, 3/17)

Beef tallow, the fat that remains after meat is boiled, has become the latest craze to gain momentum online, with some creators touting it as a skin care product and others calling it the healthier alternative to “seed oils” like canola and safflower oil. ... But some dermatologists and nutrition experts said they do not recommend incorporating high levels of beef tallow into diet or skin care regimens. On skin, one dermatologist said, tallow could cause acne rather than eliminate it. For cooking, some nutritionists said beef tallow may even be worse than seed oils. (Richardson, 3/17)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: �鶹Ů�� Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Share How Additives Enter Food Supply And Measles Harms Kids' Immune Systems

�鶹Ů�� Health News senior correspondent David Hilzenrath discussed how the FDA allows risky chemicals in America’s food supply on CBS’ “CBS Mornings Plus” on March 11. ... �鶹Ů�� Health News editor-at-large for public health Céline Gounder discussed the measles outbreak on CBS’ “CBS Mornings” on March 7. She also discussed how measles affects the immune system on CBS 24/7’s “The Daily Report” on March 5. (3/15)

How old are your organs? The answer might not match your chronological age — and a new analysis finds that an organ’s biological age might predict a person’s risk of diseases such as cancer, dementia and heart disease. The research, published in the Lancet Digital Health, analyzed data from Whitehall II, a long-running British study of aging that has followed over 10,000 British adults for more than 35 years. (Blakemore, 3/15)