The Latest on the Measles Outbreak. Plus, How Much Will Trump's Tariffs Cost Families?
A key meeting to plan for next year's flu vaccine was abruptly cancelled by the Trump Administration. No one knows why.
THE TIDES OF MARCH
Every March 1, I send a text to a close mom friend: "Happy March 1!"
When our children were (really) little, we’d commiserate over how difficult winter felt. Being cooped up inside, bundling kids in layers – only to take them all off to wrestle them into car seats – and the relentless cycle of colds made the months feel endless.
Now, our kids are older, out of car seats, and onto school buses—where they flat-out refuse to wear coats. Those exhausting early years feel distant, but the memories remain. So, I still send that text every March 1, a bittersweet reminder of how much has changed.
If you’re in the thick of it now, feeling worn down by winter, I say to you: (Belated) Happy March! Brighter, warmer days are ahead.
In this week's issue: The latest on the measles outbreak, what President Trump said in Tuesday night's address to Congress that matters to you and why some parents are taking their infants and toddlers to hibachi grills.
MEASLES
In early February, a measles outbreak hit a small, under-vaccinated Texas town. About 58 cases were reported, almost all in children who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
The CDC states two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles. In 2000, the disease was declared eradicated in the U.S. – meaning, there had been no continuous spread for at least 12 months. Which is saying something because measles is highly contagious—one infected person can spread it to 12-18 others. Before the vaccine, some 400-500 people died every year from the disease.
Yet in Gaines County, Texas—the outbreak’s epicenter—vaccination rates are dropping.
"MMR coverage for kindergartners is 82%. Texas law lets parents opt out of school vaccine mandates for 'reasons of conscience.' In Gaines, 17.6% of kindergartners have filed a 'conscientious exemption' to at least one shot. For Texas as a whole, that number has climbed to 3.6%, up from 1.3% a decade ago." WSJ
Within two weeks, measles cases doubled, with new cases in New Mexico. By the end of February, one Texas child had died—the first measles death in nearly a decade. Texas DSHS
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, initially dismissed the outbreak but later admitted he is "deeply concerned" in an opinion article for Fox News.
Kennedy cited the efficacy of vaccines and encouraged parents to speak to their child's physician but stopped short of endorsing them, pointing out that vaccination is a personal decision.
Dr. Molly O’Shea of the American Academy of Pediatrics criticized Kennedy’s lukewarm support for vaccines. "He certainly did not disparage vaccination, but he did not come out with a strong statement of support." NBC
In his article, Kennedy also cited CDC guidance on using Vitamin A, which is effective in malnourished children but risky in the U.S. due to overdose potential. "Vitamin A is not a substitute for vaccination," said Dr. Megan Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health. CDC
Inside HHS, Kennedy’s handling of the outbreak has caused division. Last week, a top official resigned "because he wanted Kennedy to offer stronger encouragement to vaccinate children." WSJ (gift link)
Measles cases have now been reported in New Jersey and New York.
If you're an adult who only received one dose of the vaccine as a child, you are eligible for a second which will increase your protection.
If your children have recently visited an area where an outbreak is active, doctors are offering vaccines to children as young as six months.
Talk to your child's doctor.
FLU VACCINES
A crucial March 13 meeting on next year’s flu vaccine has been canceled without explanation.
The expert panel responsible for formulating the vaccine received an email from HHS announcing the cancellation—its second since Kennedy, took over the agency.
Panel members, including top medical and public health experts from Stanford, NIH, and the New England Journal of Medicine, were told not to speak to the media or share the email.
Flu viruses change every year, so vaccines must be updated annually. Planning begins in spring because producing a vaccine takes up to six months—it must be ready by September.
The decision is especially concerning given this year's flu season, which was one of the worst in a decade:
- ⚕ 86 children and 19,000 adults died.
- 💉Vaccinated adults were 50% more likely to avoid serious medical treatment; vaccinated kids, 60%.
- 📉 Flu vaccine rates are declining. This year 46% of children got the vaccine, versus 51% last year.
Despite Trump's decision to withdraw the US from from what he calls a "corrupt" organization, the administration is giving the CDC and FDA to use World Health Organization (WHO) data to help fill the gap.
AUTISM RATES
In Tuesday night's address to Congress, President Trump stated he has ordered Kennedy to look into the high rates of autism in the U.S.
Kennedy has suggested vaccines cause autism—a claim that has been debunked by science. Scientists believe that a mix of genetic and environmental causes can lead to autism.
"Rather, research suggests that much of the increase is due to increasing awareness and screening for the condition, changing definitions of autism to include milder conditions on the spectrum that weren’t recognized in previous years and advances in diagnostic technology." NBC
Trump correctly stated that 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with autism but cited a wildly inaccurate figure about how rates have increased. He claimed the rate used to be 1 in 10,000 "not long ago." About 25 years ago, the rate was 1 in 150. How "not [that] long ago" are we talking?
"What’s more, a diagnosis of autism gives children greater access to specialized services and special education than do diagnoses of other conditions. This benefit makes clinicians more likely to diagnose a child with autism, even those who are on the borderline of the clinical criteria." - Scientific American
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Linda McMahon took over as Education Secretary on Monday, sending an email to staff about the "Department’s Final Mission"—which she outlined as transferring the department’s powers to individual states. President Trump wants to shut down the department and move remaining programs to other agencies.
“They’re really gutting it from within,” said Blair Wriston, senior manager for government affairs at EdTrust, an education equity nonprofit. “The people who suffer are going to be the kids.” Vox
"Over the long term, parceling out programs like Title I and IDEA to other departments — each with their own functions and priorities — could weaken those programs’ ability to serve the high-needs students they were created to support, [Kenneth Wong, a professor of education policy at Brown University] said. The Education Department is (or was) full of experts who have spent their careers serving students, and other departments simply won’t have the same expertise. And, of course, those other departments are also on the chopping block in the DOGE era, Wriston pointed out."
💰 Agency staffers are being offered up to $25,000 to resign. Politico
💻 The department also launched the "End DEI" portal, allowing people to submit complaints about schools they believe engage in "discrimination." ABC
📝 BTW, DEI policies ensure adequate resources for kids with autism and disabilities. Psychology Today
📚 More on the Trump Administration's actions on education here and here.
TRUMP'S TARIFFS
Trump imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and doubled tariffs on China to 20% this week.
What does this mean?
- 📈 The Yale Budget Lab estimates households will pay on average $1,600-$2,000 more annually. Yale Budget Lab
- 🏷️ Prices are expected to rise on electronics (+11%), clothes (+7.5%), cars (+6%), and food.
China responded by taxing U.S. imports like chicken, pork, soy, beef, dairy, and wheat by 10-15% starting next week.
Canada will also tax billions on imports from the US.
SCREEN TIME & CHILD DEVELOPMENT
A new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association links increased screen time to higher rates of myopia (nearsightedness) in children. For every one hour of screen time per day, the chances of myopia increase by 21%.
The Common Sense Media Census 2025 reports:
- 💻 4 in 10 two-year-olds have their own tablet.
- 💻 By age 4, 58% of kids have a tablet.
- 📲 By 8, 1 in 4 has a cellphone.
- 📲 Half of kids 8+ have a cellphone.
SAFETY RECALLS
- Costway's Babyjoy High Chairs recalled for entrapment and suffocation hazards. CPSC
- Forever 21 & P.J. Salvage PJ sets recalled for flammability concerns. CPSC
- Style Life Eleven Baby Loungers recalled for suffocation risk. CPSC
FOR FUN
A new TikTok trend has parents taking their babies to hibachi grills for their "first hibachi experience"—sparking mixed reactions. Parents