In just over a year, Pueblo County’s Department of Public Health and Environment has successfully faced two viruses that no similar agency wants. In June of 2024 and in April this year it dealt with cases of plague and measles. In each case, it immediately sprang into action to alert the public exactly what it was facing and effectively handled a potential crisis with minimal consequences.
On the last day of March of this year, the state health department identified a single case of measles in the county. A single adult male was identified as the exposed individual. While one case does not make an outbreak, the measles virus is a red flag to any public health agency.
The virus, also known as rubella, is considered extremely contagious and exposure can quickly spread through a population. It can, however, be treated with the MMR vaccine. In Pueblo County, once alerted, the virus was contained to a single case.
“Our team has been working internally for quite some,” said Pueblo County Health spokesman Trysten Garcia. Because measles had already been reported in other states, including nearby New Mexico, Garcia said, “our team was ready.”
As September began, the CDC counted 1,431 confirmed cases of measles spread across 42 states. Of those cases, 92%, said the CDC, were in individuals who had not been vaccinated. Approximately two thirds of those infected were under the age of 20. Three deaths resulted from the outbreak.
The measles vaccine was first introduced in 1963, and outbreaks had been steadily declining. In fact, in 2000, the CDC stated that because of the effectiveness of the vaccine, it declared the virus eradicated. But since then, a growing skepticism about vaccine effectiveness has caused a decline in immunization.
In July 2024, state health officials also confirmed a single case of plague in Pueblo County. The county, again, reacted quickly, sharing health information with local and state media, issuing news releases in multiple languages, with information of the virus and ways to keep safe.
Plague, specifically bubonic plague, is associated with Europe’s most devastating viral outbreak during the 14th century. As many as 50 million people died from the virus. In Pueblo, the virus was contained to a single individual.
While the Pueblo Health department has been proactive in sharing important health information, particularly to a growing immigrant population, there is concern that the Trump administration’s immigration policies, many of which are included in H.R.1—also known as the ‘big, beautiful bill’—would create a variety of unintended consequences impacting public health.
“This “Big Beautiful Bill” will impact the most vulnerable low-income Coloradans,” said veteran Pueblo City Councilman Dennis Flores, and burden public health with more responsibilities along with other governmental agencies.
The bill, which includes huge cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, could potentially create disaster for rural health care systems, including causing some to close. If that happens it could create huge burdens, including healthcare challenges on places like Pueblo, where many from outside the region often go for their medical help.
The possibility of rural health care cutting back or shuttering altogether, Flores imagines, could create mounting pressures on the city which is already facing an estimated $9 million budget deficit. The legislation, the Pueblo native said, while touted as an attack on ‘waste, fraud and abuse,’ will instead hurt not only Pueblo but many others.
“The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will impact the most vulnerable (and) low-income Coloradans which is estimated to be about 367,000 individuals, 34,000 children in the CHIP (Colorado Health Insurance Program) and 25,000 kids with disabilities.”
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