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DSHS Urges Measles Monitoring as More Cases Confirmed - 02/03/2025

DSHS has confirmed measles cases in Gaines and Lubbock counties as well as in Houston. Officials urge physicians to report any suspected cases immediately for investigation.


Enhancing Awareness: Physicians Can Help Dispel Myths to Ease the Syphilis Epidemic - 01/08/2025

Physicians can help dispel myths to ease the syphilis epidemic in Texas.


State Law Banning Refusal of Care to Certain Unvaccinated Patients Takes Effect - 11/18/2024

Starting Sept. 1, a new state law prohibits clinicians caring for patients enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to refuse health care services based on their vaccination status.


TMA Testifies on a Flurry of Public Health, Insurance Bills - 11/18/2024

As of the March 10 bill filing deadline, state lawmakers had introduced more than 9,000 pieces of legislation, establishing a new record and teeing up the Texas Medical Association’s busiest session yet.


Travel Advisory: Travel Details Can Help Uncover a Diagnosis - 11/18/2024

Physicians can aid in the prevention and spread of travel-related illnesses with thorough questioning on trip history.


Congress Extends Telemedicine Flexibilities in Medicare - 11/07/2024

The COVID-19-era flexibilities for telemedicine in Medicare will last at least another five months following recent action by Congress.


CDC: Masks Still Recommended for Everyone in Health Care Setting - 11/07/2024

Does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend masking for physicians and other health care professionals to prevent the spread of COVID-19?


Respiratory Illness Rates Likely Stable for 2024-25, Vaccines Could Lower Peak - 10/25/2024

This year’s respiratory illness season is likely to bring a similar or lower number of combined peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus compared with last season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention telegraphed in its 2024-25 Respiratory Disease Season Outlook.


Spread of Travel-Related Illnesses Tracks Increase in International Travel - 09/17/2024

As international travel has picked up, so too has the spread of travel-related infectious diseases and physicians' responsibility to more thoroughly investigate patients' travel plans and history during visits.


Talk to Patients About: Breakthrough Infections for COVID-19 Vaccinations - 09/13/2024

 The new mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are highly effective at giving people immunity against the disease. But as with all other vaccines, that immunity is not 100% for everyone who receives them.  


CDC: Drinking Raw Milk Doesn’t Protect Against Avian Flu - 08/07/2024

The spread of the A(H5N1) virus, or avian flu, has forced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to warn people away from drinking raw milk contaminated with the virus as a way to acquire antibodies against the disease. The unsupported practice significantly increases risk of illness. Read more.


Long COVID Definition Created to Help Physicians, Patients - 08/01/2024

To better understand and manage “long COVID”, physicians must first be able to define the condition – so far impossible with no set parameters or qualifications. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently moved to rectify that problem as a committee of experts created a consensus definition.


Evidence of Zika Infection Found in More Than 250 Texas Mothers - 07/22/2024

Officials have identified 265 Texas women who had evidence of a Zika infection while pregnant, a new report from the Texas Department of State Health Services says.


New Poster Encourages Flu Vaccination Amid COVID-19 - 07/22/2024

“COVID-19 is here, but so is the flu.” That is the message of a new downloadable poster available from the Texas Medical Association’s Be Wise – Immunize program to help you stress the need for flu vaccination, this year more than ever.


Vaccine Grants Improve Patient Access - 06/17/2024

One of many ways the Texas Medical Association fights to bridge gaps in care, the Vaccines Defend What Matters program has announced its first round of 2024 grantees, who address pressing immunization needs while reaching underserved communities.


Physicians Sound Alarm to Curb Rising Congenital Syphilis Rates - 05/16/2024

Texas physicians are raising the alarm as cases of congenital syphilis, a dangerous illness for fetuses and newborn babies, are surging. Texas has the fourth highest congenital syphilis case rate in the nation, with cases skyrocketing 148% from 2017 to 2022, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data.


The Great Masquerader: Congenital Syphilis Plagues Texas - 05/06/2024

Since beginning her career at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in 2017 as the infectious disease medical officer, Jennifer Shuford, MD, has been closely monitoring syphilis.


TMA Moment In Time: Pandemic Response - 04/09/2024

The strength of organized medicine carried TMA and Texas physicians through an unprecedented public health crisis and beyond.


New Law Prohibits Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates, With Exceptions - 02/28/2024

Thanks to advocacy by the Texas Medical Association, guardrails for patient safety and practice viability are included in a new state law that prohibits employers, including physician offices and health care facilities, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines among employees.


New 24/7 Hotline to Assist in Treatment for Infected Newborns - 02/23/2024

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio recently debuted a 24/7 telehealth help line to assist pediatric infectious disease specialists in treating neonatal illnesses, namely congenital syphilis, whose rates continue to rise in Texas.


Measles: Updated Information and Resources Available to Fight Rising Cases - 02/21/2024

As measles cases continue to rise in Texas and across the U.S., the Texas Medical Association and Texas Hospital Association have created a document to help physicians and other health care professionals combat the highly contagious respiratory illness. The document provides the latest recommendations for diagnosing and reporting measles, immunizations, infection prevention and control, and post-exposure prophylaxis and exclusion.


Talk to Patients About: Measles - 02/20/2024

Few Americans today remember when measles was deadly. But before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, the disease killed about 2.6 million globally each year. By 2016, vaccination programs cut that number to about 89,000.


DSHS Introduces Interactive Respiratory Illness Dashboard - 02/08/2024

The Texas Department of State Health Services has developed an interactive dashboard to help physicians across the state combat respiratory illness during its peak season, which typically runs from October through May in Texas.


TMA FAQ Addresses Child and Maternal RSV Treatments - 01/19/2024

With respiratory syncytial virus season well under way, complicated by a temporary shortage of a new treatment, the Texas Medical Association has compiled a frequently-asked-questions document to help inform physicians on available preventive treatments for mothers and infants at risk of the illness.


Education Board Approves Curriculum Standards on HPV Vaccines - 12/14/2023

The State Board of Education has approved health education standards that would require public schools to teach the importance of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines beginning in seventh grade.