• Illinois: GE HealthCare is continuing its push into artificial intelligence (AI) by launching more AI-enabled medical devices and looking for strategic acquisitions to enhance its health system partnerships. Since the end of 2023, GE has added 27 FDA-approved AI-enabled medical devices to its portfolio. The company has also closed two AI-related deals, acquiring MIM Software in April and Intelligent Ultrasound's clinical AI business in October. According to CEO Peter Arduini, acquisitions will play an important role in helping the company gain more partnerships with health systems. Recently, Sutter Health signed a seven-year, $1 billion partnership with GE. "[Mergers and acquisitions] will play an important part of that, and we're optimistic here in 2025, and honestly into 2026, with a strong balance sheet [and] the cash flow generation that we have, that M&A can be a more healthy participation into our play," Arduini said. (Dubinsky, Modern Healthcare, 2/13)
• Maryland: Two of NIH's top leaders have left the agency amid ongoing efforts from the Trump administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce. Last Tuesday, NIH Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak informed staff that he was retiring effectively immediately, although he had not been expected to retire until the fall. A day after Tabak's sudden retirement, staff were informed that Michael Lauer, deputy director of NIH's extramural research, would be leaving the agency at the end of the week. With these departures, NIH has lost two of its five deputies. Currently, acting director Matthew Memoli is leading the agency. According to The Hill, the departures of some of NIH's top leaders come as the agency faces significant upheaval from a recent order limiting federal funding for research projects. (Choi, The Hill, 2/13; Owermohle/Facher, STAT+ [subscription required], 2/13)
• Texas: According to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), 48 cases of measles have been identified in West Texas, making it the state's worst outbreak in nearly 30 years. Those who have been infected are either unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown. Thirteen of the individuals have been hospitalized. According to CDC, U.S. vaccination rates for measles has decreased in recent years and continues to fall. Even a small decline in vaccination rates can significantly increase the risk of a likelihood, with CDC saying that measles can "easily cross borders" in any community where vaccination rates are lower than 95%. In three schools in Gaines County, DSHS found that, during the 2023-2024 school year, MMR vaccination rates ranged from 46.2% to 94.3%. (Cho, Washington Post, 2/13; Murphy/Shastri, Associated Press, 2/14) 

Writing for The Atlantic, Sarah Zhang analyzes how past and present vaccination campaigns in the United States have attempted to boost child vaccination rates — and why vaccine uptake among children has never been "immediately universal."