WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting 124 confirmed cases of measles in the ongoing outbreak in the South Plains and Panhandle regions. DSHS is working with local health departments in that area to investigate cases, provide immunizations where needed, and keep the public informed.
Additionally, DSHS issued a health alert after a person with measles traveled from the outbreak area to San Marcos and San Antonio before they knew they were infected. Measles exposures may have occurred at several public locations during that trip:
Friday, Feb. 14
- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Allsup’s Convenience Store, Wall
- 3 to 7 p.m. – Texas State University, San Marcos
- 6 to 10 p.m. – Twin Peaks Restaurant, San Marcos
Saturday, Feb. 15
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – University of Texas at San Antonio Main Campus
- 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and Ripley’s Illusion Lab, San Antonio
- 6 to 10 p.m. – Mr. Crabby’s Seafood, Live Oak
Sunday, Feb. 16
- 9 a.m. to 12 noon – Buc-ee’s, New Braunfels
- 12:30 to 3 p.m. – Allsup’s Convenience Store, Wall
Meanwhile, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) reports two adult Lea County residents tested positive for measles – as confirmed by the NMDOH Scientific Laboratory Division – totaling to three cases this week.
New Mexico meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s outbreak criteria with three unrelated cases in Lea County. The cases border Texas’s Gaines County, where cases have jumped from 2 to 48 cases in two weeks. While a connection to the Texas outbreak is suspected, it remains unconfirmed.
“We are investigating every suspected case, and we encourage sick individuals with symptoms consistent with measles to seek medical care,” said Dr. Chad Smelser, NMDOH Deputy State Epidemiologist.
NMDOH is notifying potentially exposed individuals and providing prevention guidance. If you visited these locations during specified times, you may have been exposed:
- Stone Elementary School, Hobbs, N.M. on Thursday, Feb 6.
- Albertsons grocery store, 2402 N. Grimes St., Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 6.
- Albertsons grocery store, 2402 N. Grimes St., Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 8.
- Crosswinds Community Church, 1701 N Jefferson St., Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 9.
- Walgreens, 801 Joe Harvey Blvd, Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 9.
- Nor-Lea Hospital emergency department between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday Feb. 10.
- Nor-Lea Hospital extended hours clinic, 1923 N Dal Paso, Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb 10.
- Nor-Lea Hospital emergency department between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
If you were at these locations during the listed times, monitor for symptoms. If symptoms develop, isolate and call your healthcare provider and inform them of possible measles exposure before visiting.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 2-25-2025
2025 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2025)
- Total Mass Shootings: 49
- Total Dead: 73
- Total Wounded: 176
- Shootings Per Day: 0.88
- Days Reached in Year 2025 as of February 25: 56
WORLD
MOVING TO END THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
In a Feb. 18 evening press release, the Holy See Press Office says that Pope Francis has double pneumonia, but nevertheless “remains in good spirits.”
Three years to the day since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly adopted two competing resolutions on resolving the conflict, one initiated by the United States and the other by Ukraine – a sign of strategic differences within the transatlantic alliance over the way forward for peace.
The resolution tabled by the United States, which omitted mention of Russian aggression, only passed after a majority of Member States voted to add EU-led amendments which led to the US abstaining on it own motion and voting against the Ukrainian text.
However, the text in the original US resolution was passed hours later in the Security Council – the first to do so since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022.
Until the high stakes diplomatic debates, the Security Council – which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security – has been unable to find consensus, owing largely to Russia’s veto power as a permanent member.
The two General Assembly draft resolutions put before UN Member States during the morning session both ostensibly called for peace and an end to the conflict – but diverged fundamentally.
“Advancing a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, proposed by Ukraine and co-sponsored by a host of European countries, was a three-page document that included clauses noting that “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has persisted for three years and continues to have devastating and long-lasting consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for other regions and global stability.”
It called for a commitment to “the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders” and the need to ensure accountability for crimes committed under international law, through “fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at national and international level.”
The US tabled its own version alongside, titled “Path to Peace”, a brief draft limited to mourning the loss of life throughout the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict, reiterating that the principal purpose of the UN is to maintain international peace and security and to peacefully settle disputes and imploring a swift end to the conflict, urging a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Amendments to the text were put forward by Russia and the European Union. Russia proposed adding the words “including by addressing its root causes” to the third paragraph (on a swift end to the conflict).
The EU proposed adding some of the language in the Ukrainian resolution, referring to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation (rather than the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict), the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine and calling for a peace in line with the UN Charter.
When it came to the vote, Ukraine’s version passed by 93 votes to 18. The US voted against, alongside Russia, marking a major shift of its position on the conflict and previous votes.
The US supported a similar resolution submitted in February 2023 which received 141 votes in favor.
A total of 65 nations abstained, including South Africa, whose representative, Ambassador Mathu Joyini, said the draft “does not go far enough in terms of inclusivity and creating a positive momentum towards a peaceful negotiation.”
The US version was also adopted (93 in favor, eight against and 73 abstentions), but Member States also voted to add the European Union amendments with 60 in favor, 18 against and 81 abstentions.
The US voted against the amendments and abstained on its own resolution (the General Assembly failed to adopt the Russian amendment, with 31 in favor, 71 against and 59 abstentions).
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa told the Assembly that the way Russian aggression is answered “will define the future of Ukraine…Europe and our common future.”
Later, flanked by co-sponsors of the country’s General Assembly resolution, she delivered a statement at the media stakeout just outside the Security Council Chamber. She said the General Assembly had demanded “an early end to this war of aggression and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter.”
The General Assembly’s reaffirmation of support for international law and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity was profoundly important, she said, warning that a peace deal that “risks rewarding aggression increases the risk” and creates a dangerous precedent for the future.
MIDDLE EAST
POLIO RESPONSE CONTINUES IN GAZA
The emergency polio outbreak response in the Gaza Strip is continuing, with a mass vaccination campaign scheduled from February 22 to 26. The novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) will be administered to over 591,000 children under 10 years of age to protect them from polio. This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the environment, putting children at risk.
Pockets of individuals with low or no immunity provide the virus an opportunity to continue spreading and potentially cause disease. The current environment in Gaza, including overcrowding in shelters and severely damaged water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, which facilitates fecal-oral transmission, create ideal conditions for further spread of poliovirus. Extensive population movement consequent to the current ceasefire is likely to exacerbate the spread of poliovirus infection.
Two previous vaccination rounds in the Gaza Strip were successfully conducted in September and October 2024, reaching over 95% of the target. As poliovirus is found to remain in the environment, additional vaccination efforts are needed to reach every child and strengthen population immunity. The presence of the virus still poses a risk to children with low or no immunity, in Gaza and throughout the region.
In 2024, health workers faced significant challenges accessing certain areas of central, north and south Gaza, which required special coordination to enter during the conflict. In inaccessible areas such as Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, where humanitarian pauses for the vaccination campaign were not assured, approximately 7 000 children missed vaccination during the second round. The recent ceasefire means health workers have considerably better access now.
No additional polio cases have been reported since a ten-month-old child was paralyzed in August 2024, but the new environmental samples from Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, collected in December 2024 and January 2025, confirm poliovirus transmission. The strain detected is genetically linked to the poliovirus detected in the Gaza Strip in July 2024.
The upcoming vaccination campaign aims to reach all children under 10 years of age, including those previously missed, to close immunity gaps and end the outbreak. The use of the oral polio vaccine will help end this outbreak by preventing the spread of the virus. An additional polio vaccination round is planned to be implemented in April.
The campaign will be led by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and implemented with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other partners.
Polio vaccines are safe and there is no maximum number of times a child should be vaccinated. Each dose gives additional protection which is needed during an active polio outbreak.
WHO, UNICEF, and partners welcome the recent ceasefire and urge for a lasting ceasefire that leads to long-term peace.
