Texas measles outbreak doubles, reaching 48 cases

The West Texas measles outbreak has doubled from 24 illnesses to 48 over the past three days, state health officials revealed Friday.

Thirteen of the patients, or more than a quarter, have required hospital care, and all are unvaccinated or have unknown measles vaccine status, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Most have been children.

Health officials confirmed first cases in the outbreak on Jan. 23 in Gaines County, which has a substantially lower vaccination rate than the Texas average. Since the first report, the number of infections has steadily climbed.

While Gaines County, where 42 of the 48 cases were reported, remains the epicenter, DSHS reports that three cases have been reported in Terry County, two in Yoakum County and one in Lynn County. All four counties are clustered in West Texas close to the New Mexico border.

While preventable with a vaccine, measles is a highly contagious disease. While most people recover from its symptoms of rashes, fevers and respiratory problems, it can result in death or permanent health problems.

“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” DSHS officials said in a statement.

Only about 82% of kindergartners in Gaines County have received the recommended measles vaccines, Forbes reports, citing DSHS data. That total is dramatically below the state average of nearly 94%.

The outbreak follows a health alert issued in January after new measles cases were discovered in Harris County, according to the Texas Tribune. Those cases, which also involved unvaccinated residents, were the first adult measles cases confirmed in the state since 2023.

“The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella [MMR] vaccine,” the agency added. “Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.”

Even so, the disease — which the U.S. declared eliminated in 2000 — has become more prevalent in recent years, according to a recent CDC alert. In March 2024, the agency documented more reported cases at that point in the year than for all of 2023.

That rise also comes amid an explosion of vaccine skepticism that’s been cheered on by Trump and many Republican legislators.

During the current session of the Republican-led Texas Legislature, lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills to overturn or ban vaccine mandates. On Thursday, the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading anti-vaccine activist, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

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This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2025.