In the latest measles developments, health officials in Washington’s Whatcom County reported their first measles patients of the year, two family members in the same household, one of whom may have exposed others at an urgent care facility in Lynden on June 18. 

The county announced the first case on June 20, involving a patient who was isolating at home. Officials said investigation is under way, and so far it's not clear how the patients were exposed to the virus. 

Elsewhere, the health department in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, today reported a measles outbreak, based on the confirmation of a third case yesterday. All of the patients are linked to each other. 

Officials reported the initial case on June 18, the county's first since 2019. The resident was exposed to an out-of-state traveler who had a confirmed infection. The second case was reported on June 20, along with a warning about possible public exposure at an apartment complex and a Walmart store, both in Traverse City.

Cases taper in West Texas outbreak

New illnesses continue to decline in the West Texas outbreak, and no new cases were reported today in updates from Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Kansas reported one more case linked to an outbreak in the southwestern part of the state, an event that had previously been linked to the larger outbreak.

The total in Texas held steady at 750 cases, and only two counties—Gaines and Lamar—have ongoing transmission.

The US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) late last week announced it will provide $12 million to state and tribal governments, research institutions, and universities to control and prevent chronic wasting disease (CWD).

The money will boost surveillance, testing, management, and response activities for the fatal prion disease, which affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. Approximately $6 million will be for projects to control CWD in farmed cervids and will be based on the state's CWD status and the number of herds and cervids participating in their CWD Herd Certification Program. The other $6 million will support research and management of CWD in wild cervids. 

"Specifically, these funds will allow for State departments of agriculture, State animal health agencies, State departments of wildlife or natural resources, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments and organizations, and research institutions and universities to further develop and implement CWD research, management, and response activities," APHIS said in an agency press release.

CWD is a slow and progressive disease caused by misfolded prions, which affect animals' brains and ultimately leads to their death. It spreads through cervid-to-cervid contact and environmental contamination. Although no human cases of CWD have been reported, health officials warn the public not to eat the meat of infected animals.

CWD was first identified in captive deer in Colorado in the late 1960s and in wild deer in 1981. The disease has been confirmed in 36 states. 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed more H5N1 avian flu detections in mammals and wild birds, as confirmations remain low in poultry and dairy cattle.

Of four new H5 detections in mammals, two had recent collections dates, including a desert cottontail rabbit from Arizona's Maricopa County, where the virus in May spurred large outbreaks at commercial egg-laying farms in mid-May through early June. The other is a red fox from Costilla County, Colorado, that was sampled on May 29. 

The two other confirmations had older sample collection dates, including a domestic cat from Contra Costa County, California, that was sampled on December 11, 2024, a time when the state reported deaths in cats linked to consumption of raw pet food and raw milk, and a muskrat from Saratoga County, New York, that was sampled on January 6. 

Wild-bird detections in Arizona poultry outbreak area

Regarding wild birds, APHIS reported 75 more H5N1 detections, though most involve birds sampled during the winter. Recent detections include agency-harvested grackles, pigeons, and other birds from Arizona's Maricopa County, as well as a Canada goose from Maryland's Cecil County.

The most recent H5N1 confirmation in dairy cows is from June 3, keeping the national total at 1,073 in 17 states, and the last confirmation in poultry is from June 11.