Kansas Has a Double Outbreak of Measles and Tuberculosis. Meanwhile, State Lawmakers Are Dropping Vaccine Requirements

• Kansas is dealing with a double outbreak of tuberculosis and measles
• Religious exception for vaccination will be allowed in child care facilities
• Measles cases in Kansas doubled this week, mostly spreading in counties with low rates of vaccination

Kansas has an outbreak of two diseases — measles and tuberculosis — as lawmakers loosen vaccine requirements for children.

In a 103-15 vote on March 20, the Kansas House of Representatives passed Bill 2294, which will exempt a child attending daycare or another child care facility from providing proof of vaccination if “a written statement signed by a parent or guardian that the parent or guardian is an adherent of a religious denomination whose teachings are opposed to immunizations” is provided.

Meanwhile, the state is struggling with an outbreak of tuberculosis and measles, the latter of which has a widely available vaccine. (A tuberculosis vaccine also exists, but it is usually only given in countries where the disease is prevalent.)

A measles infection can also leave children more susceptible to tuberculosis, as the virus can have lasting effects on the immune system. As the Journal of Pediatrics says, “Measles infection leads to significant reductions in humoral immune memory. Children may be vulnerable to infectious disease, as immune recovery can take months to years.”

Measles cases in Kansas doubled this week, with the state recording 23 cases, mostly in unvaccinated children.  As the Associated Press reports, measles is spreading in counties with low rates of vaccination against the virus.

There are a record-breaking 68 active cases of tuberculosis, according to a March 28 update from the Kansas Division of Public Health. Most of the cases (61) are in Wyandotte County, with the rest in Johnson. There are 85 latent cases — which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control explains means that the bacteria that causes tuberculosis is present, but not active. However, as the agency cautions, without treatment, those with latent TB “can develop active TB disease at any time and become sick.”

Those with active TB are the ones who can spread the disease, which causes chest pain, and a severe, often bloody, cough