The surge in demand comes as a second measles death is reported in New Mexico — and as the top U.S. health official promotes misinformation on measles.

There are now 198 known cases, 23 hospitalizations and one death from measles in Texas, and 30 known cases and one death in New Mexico.

But if you call a Walgreens pharmacist in Austin looking for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, you’ll hear: I’m sorry, but we’re out of stock. Not just at one or two locations; all over the city. No, they don’t know when they’ll get more shots in.

Vaccines at CVS are also scarce. At least one pharmacy had a few doses left on a first-come, first-served basis. But at another location, the pharmacist said on Friday, “Basically, every location within a 30-mile radius is out.”

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When Ann Clancy, a retired school teacher in Austin, spoke with her local pharmacist, the pharmacist mentioned that even doctors’ offices were having a hard time keeping enough vaccines for kids who needed them.

And it’s not just Austin. Other pharmacies in Texas also ran low or completely out of the shots.

On one hand, it’s encouraging that there is a rise in demand for the vaccine. The vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others, and it’s the only way to end this outbreak.

But on the other hand, it’s worrying that people can’t get the vaccine when they need it. Especially because the vaccination rate in places like Austin has dropped quite a lot.

Travis county, which contains most of Austin, had a 89% rate of MMR vaccination among kindergartners in 2023 – down from 95% in 2020. That’s a pretty significant drop in just a few years, and it means people may need to rush now to protect their children and themselves.

At the same time, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has stopped short of recommending vaccination, instead framing it as a “personal” choice. Kennedy, who has no medical background, also promoted vitamin A and cod liver oil, as I wrote this week for The New Republic.

It’s unusual for a US health secretary to address outbreaks, Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told me for my story with The Guardian today. Usually state and local health departments take the lead, with the CDC advising or coordinating responses across states.

“The fact that he decided to insert himself, in that role, is interesting, but then to spread disinformation – that really is outrageous,” Hotez said.

“It’s dangerous because people could make the incorrect decision not to get their kids vaccinated, falsely believing that there are alternatives that actually don’t work – and the result is, if there is a measles epidemic, their child could be hospitalized or worse.”

–Texas cities run short of MMR vaccine as measles outbreak drives demand, The Guardian

The CDC also picked up the line that “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” as a CDC spokesperson told me. The CDC is reportedly investigating a repeatedly debunked link between vaccines and autism in a major study.

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Top image: Mike Mozart