The number of cases in Texas’ worst measles outbreak in three decades has climbed to 309, according to state health officials said Friday.
While the worst of the flare-up appears to remain confined to West Texas and its origin point in Gaines County, near the New Mexico border, three new counties have reported cases of the highly infectious disease, records show. Those new counties are Hale, Hockley and Garza.
The new numbers arrive as health experts caution the outbreak could evolve into a national epidemic if more people in Texas and nearby states don’t receive the MMR vaccine, which is 97% effective against the disease after two shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Of the total number of Texans diagnosed with measles, 40 are hospitalized, according to the Department of State Health Services. Only two of the people who have contracted the illness are confirmed to have been vaccinated for it. The rest are either unvaccinated or have unconfirmed status.
Last month, Texas officials reported that an unvaccinated but otherwise healthy school-aged child died from measles in a Lubbock hospital. It’s the first measles death recorded in a decade.
Cases related to the Texas outbreak have been recorded in New Mexico and Oklahoma, according to the Associated Press.
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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 1, 2025.
