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Measles cases climb in Texas, as outbreaks appear across the northeast

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Amid the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas, Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel sat down with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an exclusive interview to discuss contagion concerns.

“The new Health and Human Services secretary told me he is recommending vaccines for the purpose of community immunity,” Siegel told Fox News’ Sandra Smith on America Reports following the Tuesday interview.

“He’s working with Texas health officials to provide many more doses of the shot in Texas.”

At the same time, RFK continues to believe in personal choice, Siegel added.

MEASLES CASES CONTINUE TO SPREAD IN MULTIPLE STATES FOLLOWING CHILD’S DEATH

During the interview, RFK noted that most of the people impacted in Texas are part of the Mennonite community, including an unvaccinated girl who tragically died.

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel sat down with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, March 4, to discuss the measles outbreak. (Fox News)

While the HHS secretary does recommend vaccines in “highly unvaccinated communities like the Mennonites,” he acknowledged that there’s “a lot of mistrust in vaccines.”

“There are people who cannot be — and should not be — vaccinated in that community, because they have autoimmune diseases or other immune problems,” he said. “If you do get vaccinated, you’re protecting those people from a possible spread.”

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR: MEASLES OUTBREAK IS A CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL OF US

Kennedy is also calling for more transparency and more studies on vaccines, as well as accurate reporting of vaccine injury, Siegel said.

A “startling” 108 people were treated for measles in Texas in the last 48 hours, RFK noted.

Therapies such as the use of cod liver oil, which contains vitamins A and D, “are working,” he said.

girl with measles sores on her chest

The Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 159 measles cases since late January 2025. (iStock)

Cases of measles continue to spread following the initial outbreak in Texas.

As of Tuesday, March 4, the Texas Department of State Health Services has reported 159 cases since late January.

Twenty-two patients have been hospitalized in Texas since the outbreak began in the state’s South Plains region.

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Last week, Texas reported the first measles death – a school-aged child who lived in the area and was not vaccinated against the virus.

The agency warned that due to the highly contagious nature of measles, additional cases are “likely to occur” in surrounding communities.

Child with measles

The virus has spread outside Texas borders, with the CDC reporting 164 cases nationwide as of Feb. 27. (iStock)

The disease has since spread outside Texas borders, with the CDC reporting 164 cases nationwide as of Feb. 27.

Cases have been detected in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island and Texas.

Pennsylvania has also reported its first case in Montgomery County, according to local news sources.

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Fox Weather reported on Monday that this Pennsylvania case led to a traveler warning at New York’s JFK Airport.

Officials cautioned that individuals who traveled within and from Terminal 4 of the airport on Feb. 25 may have been exposed, and some may have already been contacted about potential infection.

Most of these U.S. cases have occurred in unvaccinated, school-aged children, according to the CDC.

MMR vaccine

The best way to prevent infection is to be immunized with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to experts. (iStock)

There have been nearly 200 reported cases since the beginning of the year. In 2024, there were 285 cases for the entire year, per the CDC.

Forty percent of last year’s cases were hospitalized for isolation or management of complications.

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Texas health officials emphasized that the best way to prevent infection is to be immunized with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The virus can remain in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after the infected person has departed, doctors caution.

Solana upgrades will strengthen network but squeeze validators — VanEck

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Solana’s planned protocol upgrades are important for the network’s long-term health but could deal a blow to validators’ earnings, according to asset manager VanEck. 

In March, Solana’s validators will vote on two proposed upgrades — known as Solana Improvement Documents (SIMDs) — to the blockchain protocol designed to ensure rewards for stakers and adjust the inflation rate for the network’s native SOL (SOL) token. 

Both proposals have generated “significant controversy” because they stand to slash validator revenues by as much as 95%, potentially imperiling smaller operators, VanEck digital asset research head Matthew Sigel said in a March 4 X post. 

“While these changes may reduce staking rewards, we believe lowering inflation is a worthy goal that strengthens Solana’s long-term sustainability,” Sigel said. 

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SOL’s staked supply has risen since 2023. Source: Coin Metrics

Related: Solana’s Jito staking pool exceeds $100M in monthly tips: Kairos Research

Rewarding stakers

The first, SIMD 0123, “would introduce an in-protocol mechanism to distribute Solana’s priority fees to validator stakers,” Sigel said. Traders can pay extra to validators to process transactions more promptly. 

Sigel said priority fees account for 40% of network revenues, but validators are currently not required to share fees with stakers. Validators are required to pass on other forms of revenue, such as voting rewards. 

The proposal, which is up for a vote on March 6, not only boosts staking rewards but “also discourages off-chain trading agreements between traders and validators, reinforcing on-chain execution,” Sigel said. 

Staking involves locking up SOL as collateral with a validator on the Solana blockchain network. Stakers earn SOL payouts from network fees and other rewards but risk “slashing” — or losing SOL collateral — if the validator misbehaves.

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Solana network revenues from fees and tips. Source: Multicoin Capital

Adjusting inflation

The second, SIMD 0228, is the “most impactful proposal under consideration,” according to Sigel. 

It would adjust SOL’s inflation rate to inversely track the percent of token supply staked, potentially “reducing dilution and lowering selling pressure from stakers who treat staking rewards as income,” he said.

As of February, Solana’s inflation rate stands at 4%, down from its initial 8% rate but still well above its terminal inflation target of 1.5%, according to a report by Coin Metrics shared with Cointelegraph. Inflation currently declines at a fixed rate of 15% annually.

The second proposal was drafted primarily by Multicoin Capital’s Vishal Kankani, according to ChainCatcher. Multicoin, a venture capital firm, owns a “significant position” in Jito, Solana’s most popular staking pool, it said in a March report. 

As of December, upward of 93% of Solana validators use Jito’s software to maximize earnings from block-building, according to developer Jito Labs.

The proposals come as asset managers urge regulators to permit SOL exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to list on US exchanges. Issuers are also asking US regulators to permit cryptocurrency staking in ETFs to enhance returns. 

Bloomberg Intelligence sets the odds of SOL ETFs being approved in 2025 at around 70%.

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