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Gilbert Handal witnessed the devastating toll of measles on children in a Chilean hospital before the vaccine. Now, he warns of the dangers of forgetting that past.

The bill would allow a vaccine exemption form to be downloadable. Currently, a form must be requested from the state and mailed to the recipient.

The Rockwall County Commissioners Court said on social media the person, who has since recovered, may have traveled to West Texas recently.

The measles outbreak in West Texas didn’t happen just by chance. Health officials say the easily preventable disease has ripped through communities sprawling across more than 20 Texas counties in part because health departments were starved of the funding needed to run vaccine programs.

Cuts to federal funding cuts forced the Dallas Department of Health and Human Services to lay off 11 staff and 10 temporary workers. Many of the terminated employees worked in immunization outreach.

North Texans and public health officials said there's still a lot of work to do to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine hesitancy was rising even before COVID-19 emerged – but the pandemic exacerbated the trend. More kindergartners are opting out of school vaccine requirements, and state lawmakers are trying to make it even easier to do so.

The measles case reported in Rockwall County is unrelated to the outbreak in West Texas, officials said, but they're monitoring and preparing in case the disease spreads in North Texas.

Rockwall County Health Authority Dr. Dirk Perritt announced a measles case in an adult resident Wednesday. It's the first confirmed case in North Texas.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has described the biannual immunization conference as a "vital platform" that in the past drew strong participation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Emboldened by Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s nomination and disdain for pandemic-era mandates, skeptics are pushing for bills to make it easier to opt out of vaccines.

Physicians and nonprofit leaders say Texas is no stranger to misinformation that politicians like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. perpetuate. But they worry about the impact Trump's cabinet picks will have on public health.