The Texas Department of State Health Services has canceled its biennial immunization conference amid uncertainty at the federal level, the agency announced Wednesday.
The Texas Immunization Conference, scheduled for May in Galveston, traditionally includes 鈥渟ubstantial鈥� participation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement sent by Josh Hutchison, deputy commissioner of the state health services department鈥檚 infectious disease prevention division.
鈥淲ith current uncertainty about the ability of CDC personnel to participate, we made the difficult decision to cancel the conference for now,鈥� Hutchison wrote.
Over the years, as a 鈥渧ital platform" that from public and private health sectors to discuss best practices in improving immunization rates. Childhood vaccine rates in North Texas have dropped in recent years, from between 95-96% in 2017 to between 91-93% in 2023.
Before the cancellation, 185 people had registered for the conference, most of whom were DSHS employees, DSHS spokesperson Chris Van Deusen wrote in an email to 四虎影院.
The conference was originally scheduled for June 2024, but was postponed because of its proximity to the CDC鈥檚
The state health services department Wednesday morning initially attributed the cancellation to a pause on non-emergency-related communication and public appearances. However, a second news release attributed to Hutchison said that email had 鈥渟ome significant errors in it,鈥� and that the agency and employees are 鈥渘ot under any kind of communication pause.鈥�
Van Deusen told 四虎影院 an employee sent out an unapproved draft email.
The language in the first email resembled the same from a sent by acting U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dorothy Fink to leaders at agencies including the CDC. Much of the public communication from federal health agencies was still on pause in early February, according to
This month the DSHS reported a in West Texas. Twenty-four cases have been reported in Gaines County, nine of which have resulted in hospitalization. All of the cases are among unvaccinated patients, the majority of whom are children.
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