Austin Public Health says new federal grant cuts will limit the number of people it can vaccinate through its clinics amid Texas’ ongoing measles outbreak.
The department’s Immunization Unit lost funding late last month after the U.S. Health and Human Services Department ended COVID-19 grants. A total of 27 Austin Public Health positions were removed as a result of the federal cuts, making it harder for the department to staff its clinics and administer vaccines.
“Our money is going away that we have used … to vaccinate people through some of our teams (and) our mobile teams, and so that capacity is going to decrease,” said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes in an interview with Hey Austin.
Austin Public Health has been using its clinics to administer vaccines including those for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), to help prevent a measles outbreak in Travis County. As of Tuesday, a total of 624 measles cases and two child fatalities have been confirmed in West Texas.
In Travis County, only one case of measles has been confirmed, in an unvaccinated child who had been traveling, Walkes said. The department was preparing for measles as early as last year, and ramped up efforts after the Travis County case was confirmed in late February, holding regular meetings and increasing outreach.
The only way to track vaccination rates is through school records. KUT recently reported that in the 2023-24 school year, data showed only 83.67% of kindergarteners in Austin ISD were vaccinated for MMR. When considering schools city-wide and older children, Walkes believes the Austin area has a 90% vaccination rate. She wants that number to get to at least 95%.
“(Measles is) not a little thing, and it's something we have the technology and the tools to protect children from. So my hope is that people will make those appointments to get children up to date on their vaccines,” Walkes said.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to vaccines.
“Before the pandemic, I would have said to you that probably 90% of adults were vaccinated appropriately. But then we have what's happened with disinformation in the last several years,” Walkes said.
Walkes is urging everyone to get their children vaccinated against measles, saying science supports the safety of immunizations.
“Some people during the pandemic may have not kept up-to-date with childhood vaccinations because of that situation curtailing access. Now’s the time to think about it because my hope is that this will pass over us,” Walkes said of the outbreak.
Even though capacity will be reduced this year, Walkes still encourages people who are underinsured or don’t have insurance to come to an Austin Public Health clinic for vaccines. If you are already vaccinated against measles but are worried about your immunity, meet with your doctor, Walkes said.
Know the signs of measles:
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red and watery eyes
- Tiny white spots in your mouth
- A rash of flat red spots that usually start at the hairline
Where to get vaccinated:
- Walkes says to start the vaccination process by first meeting with your health care provider.
- Austin Public Health’s Shots for Tots clinic and Big Shots clinic for adults will continue but with a reduced capacity, the department said.
- Most pharmacies, like CVS, Walgreens, and H-E-B, have measles shots available, too.
- Vaccines are also available through the Texas Vaccines for Children and Adult Safety Net Providers. Use the maps located on the measles outbreak page to locate a provider.
