Texas Measles Outbreak

Image credits: AP Photo/Julio Cortez

The measles outbreak in Texas has grown to at least 90 cases, reaching historic levels, according to officials. Since late January, 90 cases of measles have been identified in the South Plains region, the state’s department of state health services (DSHS) reported Friday. At least 16 patients have been hospitalized as a result. The majority of reported measles cases were in children and teenagers; minors between the ages of five and 17 accounted for 51 cases. Children under four made up 26 cases. Most patients’ parents either had chosen to not immunize them against the highly contagious illness through vaccines meant to prevent the potentially deadly illness and its spread, or their vaccination status was unknown.

Experts have warned that additional cases are “likely to occur” in South Plains and neighboring communities, given measles’ contagious nature. At least nine measles cases have already been reported in Lea county, New Mexico, which borders the region where the Texas outbreak is occurring. Gaines county, located in rural western Texas, is the epicenter of the latest outbreak, with 57 reported cases. The county, with 22,523 residents, had one of the state’s highest immunization exemption rates for the 2023-24 school year, according to DSHS data. Nearly 18% of students opted out of vaccinations, which had all but eradicated measles and other contagious illnesses before skeptics undermined confidence in them among some in the US.

The Texas outbreak comes amid the Republican-controlled US Senate confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the avowed anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, to national health secretary. Donald Trump, the Republican whose second US presidency began in January, nominated Kennedy. Kennedy has already taken aim at several vaccine-related initiatives, including ordering the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop several campaigns promoting vaccination. Also, a CDC vaccine-safety meeting, comprising a panel of experts, was postponed. The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 90 cases across seven counties, the state health department posted online Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized.

In neighboring eastern New Mexico, the measles case count is up to nine, though state public health officials said Thursday there’s still no evidence this outbreak is connected to the one in Texas. Measles is a highly contagious disease. The West Texas cases are concentrated in Gaines County, which has 57 infections, and Terry County, north of Gaines, where there are now 20 confirmed cases. Dawson County, to the east of Gaines, was new to the count with six. Yoakum County has four and Lubbock, Lynn and Ector counties have a case each. Texas state health department data shows the vast majority of cases are among people younger than 18: 26 in kids younger than 4 and 51 in kids 5-17 years old.

Some key statistics related to the outbreak include: * 90 cases of measles identified in the South Plains region * 16 patients hospitalized * 57 reported cases in Gaines county * 18% of students in Gaines county opted out of vaccinations for the 2023-24 school year * 26 cases in kids younger than 4 * 51 cases in kids 5-17 years old * 9 measles cases reported in Lea county, New Mexico The US saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. Five years earlier, measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019. Health workers are hosting regular vaccination clinics and screening efforts in Texas, as well as working with schools to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offering shots. New Mexico health officials are also hosting several vaccination clinics in Hobbs next week.