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'A political division, not a physical one, determined who got measles and who didn't'
'A political division, not a physical one, determined who got measles and who didn't': Lessons from Texarkana's 1970 outbreak
By Adam Ratner published 2 days ago
"Today, Texarkana's unusual geographic and political arrangement continues to instruct us about the deeply intertwined nature of politics and health."
Alt Text: Sign saying texarkana state line with Arkansas and Texas on either side
Texarkana is a city that straddles Texas and Arkansas, meaning healthcare for its residents are subject to which side of the state line they live. (Image credit: DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images)
True to its name, Texarkana straddles the border between the states of Texas and Arkansas. In the 1960s, about two-thirds of the population lived in the part of the city that was in Bowie County, Texas, with the remainder residing in Miller County, Arkansas. The division did not generally affect the day-to-day workings of the city, with residents of both counties attending the same local businesses, churches, and events.
However, separate public schools and public health departments were maintained on either side of the state line. Texarkana was a natural laboratory to understand how policy choices could dictate health.
In late June 1970, a 5-year-old Texarkana boy who had traveled out of the area was diagnosed with measles. He represented the first recognized case in an outbreak that would last more than six months and involve more than 600 people, mostly children. That isn't the remarkable part — measles outbreaks were becoming more frequent everywhere.In 2000, measles was declared eliminated from the United States following a successful, national vaccination program — transmission of the disease had ceased within America, but even now, measles has yet to be eradicated worldwide. The continued spread of measles in other countries and lapses in America's vaccination rates leaves the country vulnerable to outbreaks like the one happening in Texas right now. The ongoing outbreak has so far claimed two lives, with cases increasing due to the incredibly high transmissibility of measles and low vaccination rates in the affected areas.
In this adapted excerpt from his book Booster Shots (Penguin Random House, 2025), pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Dr. Adam Ratner looks at a historical measles outbreak in Texarkana, a city at the border of Texas and Arkansas. In the outbreak, the side of the state line people happened to live on determined their fate.
Snip...
https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/a-political-division-not-a-physical-one-determined-who-got-measles-and-who-didnt-lessons-from-texarkanas-1970-outbreak
By Adam Ratner published 2 days ago
"Today, Texarkana's unusual geographic and political arrangement continues to instruct us about the deeply intertwined nature of politics and health."
Alt Text: Sign saying texarkana state line with Arkansas and Texas on either side
Texarkana is a city that straddles Texas and Arkansas, meaning healthcare for its residents are subject to which side of the state line they live. (Image credit: DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images)
True to its name, Texarkana straddles the border between the states of Texas and Arkansas. In the 1960s, about two-thirds of the population lived in the part of the city that was in Bowie County, Texas, with the remainder residing in Miller County, Arkansas. The division did not generally affect the day-to-day workings of the city, with residents of both counties attending the same local businesses, churches, and events.
However, separate public schools and public health departments were maintained on either side of the state line. Texarkana was a natural laboratory to understand how policy choices could dictate health.
In late June 1970, a 5-year-old Texarkana boy who had traveled out of the area was diagnosed with measles. He represented the first recognized case in an outbreak that would last more than six months and involve more than 600 people, mostly children. That isn't the remarkable part — measles outbreaks were becoming more frequent everywhere.In 2000, measles was declared eliminated from the United States following a successful, national vaccination program — transmission of the disease had ceased within America, but even now, measles has yet to be eradicated worldwide. The continued spread of measles in other countries and lapses in America's vaccination rates leaves the country vulnerable to outbreaks like the one happening in Texas right now. The ongoing outbreak has so far claimed two lives, with cases increasing due to the incredibly high transmissibility of measles and low vaccination rates in the affected areas.
In this adapted excerpt from his book Booster Shots (Penguin Random House, 2025), pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Dr. Adam Ratner looks at a historical measles outbreak in Texarkana, a city at the border of Texas and Arkansas. In the outbreak, the side of the state line people happened to live on determined their fate.
Snip...
https://www.livescience.com/health/viruses-infections-disease/a-political-division-not-a-physical-one-determined-who-got-measles-and-who-didnt-lessons-from-texarkanas-1970-outbreak
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