Measles spreads across the state; ICE detention facility set to expand; ImageOut returns

Mm-hmm.

But the local vaccination rate, I have to admit, you told me before the program what it was, and I actually thought, "Oh, that seems low." What is it?

[laughs] So, um, it is currently at 86.6%.

In Monroe County?

Yes.

And so when we talk about that, um, that rate, that is the rate of, uh, receipt of one MMR vaccine, so the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, by the age of two.

Um, it's 86% now as of January 2026.

It was 87.4% last year, January, so it's trending in the wrong direction.

And really to have optimal, you know, really robust herd immunity, you've got to get that vaccination rate above 95%.

Folks I've heard of- Herd, auditory herd of-

Yes

... herd immunity.

Um, and what that is, is for people that are immunocompromised, a kid that's born with some, uh, problem deficit with their immune system, they cannot receive live vaccines.

So the measles, mumps, rubella is a live vaccine, and so they are completely, um, exposed to getting measles or mumps or rubella.

But if all of the rest of us that surrounds that community member have been protected, even if measles comes through, none of us is gonna pick it up and then expose them.

So we protect each other in that way, some of our most vulnerable, whether that's children or folks at the other extreme of life.

If you've got cancer and now we've blown away your own innate immune system with chemotherapeutics, those folks are also at risk.

So you need vaccination rates up.

Yes, please.

Okay.

I wanna ask you a question that is not meant to be political.

I just wanna be, ask you a question from your professional expertise.

E- especially when the Texas outbreak happened-

Yeah

...

Mm-hmm.

But the local vaccination rate, I have to admit, you told me before the program what it was, and I actually thought, "Oh, that seems low." What is it?

[laughs] So, um, it is currently at 86.6%.

In Monroe County?

Yes.

And so when we talk about that, um, that rate, that is the rate of, uh, receipt of one MMR vaccine, so the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, by the age of two.

Um, it's 86% now as of January 2026.

It was 87.4% last year, January, so it's trending in the wrong direction.

And really to have optimal, you know, really robust herd immunity, you've got to get that vaccination rate above 95%.

Folks I've heard of- Herd, auditory herd of-

Yes

... herd immunity.

Um, and what that is, is for people that are immunocompromised, a kid that's born with some, uh, problem deficit with their immune system, they cannot receive live vaccines.

So the measles, mumps, rubella is a live vaccine, and so they are completely, um, exposed to getting measles or mumps or rubella.

But if all of the rest of us that surrounds that community member have been protected, even if measles comes through, none of us is gonna pick it up and then expose them.

So we protect each other in that way, some of our most vulnerable, whether that's children or folks at the other extreme of life.

If you've got cancer and now we've blown away your own innate immune system with chemotherapeutics, those folks are also at risk.

So you need vaccination rates up.

Yes, please.

Okay.

I wanna ask you a question that is not meant to be political.

I just wanna be, ask you a question from your professional expertise.

E- especially when the Texas outbreak happened-

Yeah

...