Texas Department of State Health Services

Biden Criticized for Inhumane Conditions in Migrant Children Detention Facilities

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) sharply criticized the Biden administration over conditions at multiple Health and Human Services detention facilities for unaccompanied migrant children recently opened across the state. Abbott specifically cited a drinking-water issue at a facility hastily opened by HHS in Midland, Texas and a COVID-19 outbreak in a facility opened last month in Carrizo Springs, Texas.

HHS ORR Shelter for unaccompanied alien children in Carrizo Springs, Texas. (Photo: Randy

Six Pregnant Texas Women Test Positive for Zika

Six pregnant Texas woman tested positive for Zika health officials announced Thursday. The patients hailed from Harris County where, locally, this marked the first cases of the mosquito-borne virus reported this year.

The Zika virus is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and also by sexua

Texas Sees Bump in Mumps

Public health officials say that Texas has hit its highest number of mumps cases in more than 20 years with multiple outbreaks across the state including cases possibly linked to South Padre Island and spring break travel.

The Associated Press

CDC Awards Texas $10M to Fight Zika

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded nearly $10 million to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston to study emerging and exotic pathogens such as Zika. This announcement came as Texas reported its sixth locally-transmitted case of the virus.

The Associated Press

Mumps Infections Growing in North Texas

Neighboring Texas communities are in the throes of a brewing mumps outbreak where the virus tally jumped from a reported 10 cases to 28 in less than a week. The majority of the diagnosed are school-age children.

The Associated Press

Polio-Like Illness Affecting Children Reappears in Texas

Cases of a polio-like mystery illness are cropping up again across the country and the majority of those stricken are children. While considered rare, it is a virus that can lead to paralysis and death. Over a dozen cases sprung up in Texas recently.

AFM_enterovirus

Tuberculosis Surfaces at Texas High School

Health officials confirmed a case of tuberculosis (TB) at a San Antonio high school, although they are not saying if “patient zero” is a student, staff, or faculty member or if this is an isolated incident of the highly contagious bacterial lung infection.

tb, tuberculosis

Texas on High Alert For Local Zika Transmission

Texas officials say they are on high alert, concerned that Zika transmission by local mosquitoes is imminent, largely in response to the outbreak in Florida. On Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) urged all Texans to follow public health prevention guidelines, especially pregnant women whose unborn babies are most at risk when infected with Zika.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus can cause birth defects and is now spreading in the US and L

First Baby Born in Texas with Zika-Linked Microcephaly

Texas public health officials confirmed the birth of a baby boy in Harris County with Zika-linked microcephaly, the congenital birth defect where a newborn’s head and brain are only partially developed. This marks the first live birth of a baby with Zika-related microcephaly in the Lone Star State.

Zika infections have been reported in dozens of countries throughout the Caribbean and Lat

Pregnant Woman Tests Positive for Zika in Texas

HOUSTON, Texas — A woman from El Salvador who now lives in Houston has tested positive for the Zika virus. A representative from the center where she is receiving care said it is unknown whether the woman contacted the virus through

The Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries the Zika virus, an illness strongly suspected to be lin

Many Texas Counties Ill-Equipped for Zika Fight

The responsibility for protecting our communities in Texas from the Zika virus is local and municipal, say mosquito experts. The problem is that poorer areas do not have the expertise or the manpower because of their low tax base. Texas counties without formal mosquito districts or like services are ill-equipped to address Zika virus concerns.

Byron Chism, a mosquito technician with Dallas County, sets a mosquito trap to capture sub

Illegal Aliens Lose Battle in Birth Certificate Lawsuit Against Texas

A federal judge signed an order on Friday that denied a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by citizens of Mexico and several Central American nations claiming entitlement to birth certificates for their children born in the United States. They sued the Vital Statistics Unit of the Texas Department of State Health Services saying the agency denied them the certificates because they did not possess the required identification.

usa-immigration-california

Chikungunya! Mosquito-Borne Virus Found Again in Texas!

The first human case of Chikungunya (pronounced chik-un-gun-ya) has been confirmed in Collin County, Texas, located just northeast of Dallas. The infected individual recently traveled to another country and returned to the states with the virus. The risk of spread to Americans is from the virus being imported by travelers. Collin County is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, statistical area.

chikungunya