Nearly three-fourths of cyclosporiasis cases detected in Texas have been confined to two regions, The Dallas Morning News reported. The Texas Department of State Health Services provided numbers for each of the state's eight public health regions. Most cases this year, from the beginning of May until late July, have been reported in two regions: Region 11 and Region 6/5S.
Region 11 includes Cor - pus Christi and the south ernmost part of Texas. Of the 106 lab-confirmed cases statewide, 48 were reported from that region - or 45%. Region 6/5S includes the city of Houston and Harris County, and an additional 29 cases were reported in that region. Together, the two regions account for roughly 73% of the state's cases.
The diarrhea-inducing parasite has hit other states hard. Michigan, for exam - ple, has reported thousands of cases. Texas thus far has seen cyclosporiasis cases at about the same level as in the past few years.
THC hemp products once again banned in Texas Effective July 31, prod - ucts containing cannabi - noids such as delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC and THCP are banned in Texas, fol -
lowing a years-long legal fight over state hemp reg - ulations, the Austin Ameri can-Statesman reported.
The Texas Supreme Court on May 1 upheld the authority of the Texas Department of State Health Services to adopt rules that in effect ban those THC products.
The Texas Hemp Busi- ness Council warned busi -
nesses on July 15 to prepare for the change.
“Businesses should
evaluate their inventory and prepare to remove or sell through products contain - ing more than trace amounts of delta-8, delta-10, delta-6, THCP, and other cannabi - noids that fall within the reinstated definition before the July 31 effective date," the council said.
Te x a s consumers
are now largely limited to ingestible and topical hemp products made with compliant del - ta-9 THC. Gummies, ed - ibles and beverages con - taining no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight remain legal.
Paxton says he will debate Talarico
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said last week that he will debate state Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, in the state's U.S. Senate race, though no date has been set, The Texas Tri bune reported.
Talarico, the Democrat - ic nominee, said he had accepted invitations from Texas media groups for three debates. The Paxton campaign confirmed it had received the same debate invitations and said the at- torney general plans to de bate but did not commit to specific dates.
"Of course, we are go - ing to debate James Talari -
co, and we look forward to engaging with potential de -
bate hosts," Paxton senior adviser Nick Maddux said
in a statement.
Talarico has agreed to televised debates on Sept.
22 in the Rio Grande Val -
ley; Oct. 6 in Dallas; and Oct. 13 in Austin.
Maddux said the Pax -
ton campaign was "close to terms with one outlet now
and expect an announce- ment to be forthcoming shortly." Meanwhile, a new Fox polls shows Talarico with a slight lead, according to the Houston Chronicle. The poll shows him leading Paxton by three points, 5148, boosted by strong leads among independent voters and other key constituen cies.
Measles outbreak reported in Montgomery County The Texas Department of State Health Services issued a health alert after four cases of measles were reported in Montgomery County. All were members of the same family, were unvaccinated, and became infected after a person with measles traveled to Texas from out of state.
Because measles is highly contagious, DSHS
is warning that additional cases could occur among
unvaccinated people in the area. The agency encour - aged health care profession als and the public to remain vigilant to the signs and symptoms.
Measles is spread through coughing and sneezing. It can be caught by simply being near some -
one who is infected.
Voters wrongly flagged
as potential noncitizens Election officials across Texas should immediately
reinstate some voters who were incorrectly flagged
as possible noncitizens through a federal program, according to The Tribune. Christina Adkins, the state elections director, told county officials in a phone call that Texas Department
of Public Safety records have confirmed the citizen -
ship of some of the 2,724 registered voters singled
out as potential noncitizens.
The voters were flagged after the state checked its voter roll through a federal program called Systematic Alien Verification for Enti - tlements, or SAVE, that is used to verify the citizen-
ship of registered voters.
Former Secretary of
State Jane Nelson sent a let- ter in April to U.S. Citizen - ship and Immigration Ser vices that raised concerns about the accuracy of the SAVE program, after coun -
ty election officials found citizens wrongly labeled
noncitizens.
Abbott plan calls for lower health insurance costs
Gov. Greg Abbott last week revealed plans to low er health insurance costs and drug prices by making it cheaper for small businesses to offer insurance to their workers, the Chroni cle reported. He said state mandates have made it too expensive for many small businesses to offer health insurance for their employees.
Abbott called for leg - islation that would allow those businesses to offer plans that don’t meet all state mandates that exceed what is required by the fed - eral government. That gen - erally would mean thinner coverage for employees.
"Small businesses want to provide their employees with health care insurance. It's just good policy, it's a good strategy, but also, it's essential for them to be able to compete with other em - ployers," Abbott said at a campaign event.
The state leads the na- tion in uninsured people, with some 5 million Texans lacking health insurance.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com.
