Texas’ health commissioner fielded questions from state lawmakers about the outbreak and vaccine risks.
Health care
In-depth reporting on public health, healthcare policy, hospitals, and wellness issues shaping communities across Texas, from The Texas Tribune.
Texas leaders quiet amid the biggest measles outbreak in decades
Declining vaccination rates, decreasing trust in government and a political unwillingness to endorse vaccines is shaping Texas’ measles response.
Who are the Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading?
The group is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches with varied beliefs and leadership structures — and with sometimes strained relations with authorities.
First death in West Texas measles outbreak is unvaccinated child
More than 120 people across nine counties have been infected during the largest Texas outbreak in 30 years.
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children, and it’s getting worse
Issues with Medicaid coverage, including long wait times, abrupt loss of coverage and lack of political will to expand it, have contributed to Texas’ high uninsured rate for children.
New study finds elevated cancer rates near toxic San Jacinto River waste pits
State researchers found above normal levels of four types of cancer in communities near a toxic waste site.
Rates of pregnancy-related sepsis and deaths grow in Texas after abortion ban
ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas’ abortion ban.
Texas mental health licensing board gives initial OK to remove training requirement associated with DEI
Officials say the motive for the change to the rule requiring mental health providers to receive cultural diversity or competency training for license renewals has been misunderstood.
Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rate against the disease has fallen
Two of the four cases are in Lubbock, which hasn’t seen a case in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, measles vaccination rates in Texas have fallen over the last four years.
Giving rural Texans a fighting chance against cancer
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center seeks to establish the Rural Cancer Collaborative, forging a path to improved health outcomes for rural Texans.


