Colorado sues HHS, RFK Jr. over funding cuts as measles case hits

• That money funded vaccine programs, emergency preparedness and infectious disease surveillance.
• "This action of Secretary Kennedy to defund committed grants ... is inexplicable, illegal, and will cause untold damage to Colorado," Weiser said in a statement.

Driving the news: The lawsuit comes one day after Colorado confirmed its first measles case since 2023 in an unvaccinated adult in Pueblo who recently traveled to Mexico. State health officials are now scrambling to trace exposures, warn providers and up immunizations.

• Compounding tensions, Kennedy has touted vitamin A as an effective measles treatment — a claim that Colorado health officials on Tuesday cautioned as potentially misleading and dangerous.

What they're saying: "The MMR vaccine is the one really effective strategy we have," state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy told Axios Denver.

• She acknowledged vitamin A can play a "limited role" in improving outcomes for severely ill children, but emphasized it's "not preventive" and should only be used under medical supervision due to serious toxicity risks, including liver damage.

What we're watching: HHS began laying off 10,000 staff on Tuesday — a move that could further erode national preparedness, just as diseases like measles and avian flu are gaining ground.

• Colorado's chief medical officer, Ned Calonge, told Axios Denver the state is still assessing the fallout. "We have insufficient information to … predict whether [those job cuts] will have an impact on Colorado's ability to respond," he said.