Texas measles outbreak jumps to 124 cases as San Antonio health officials issue exposure warning

The measles outbreak in Texas’ South Plains region has grown to 124 cases, a 12-fold increase over the past two weeks, state health officials said Tuesday.

The outbreak, which began in Gaines County along the New Mexico border, has now spread to eight additional counties. On Monday, local health officials also warned that people in San Antonio, New Braunfels and San Marcos could be exposed after someone with the disease visited sites in all three cities.

Eighteen of the patients in the outbreak have been been hospitalized, and the vast majority of those infected are under the age of 18, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Only five of the measles cases are among people who have been vaccinated against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease, DSHS officials said. The rest are unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown.

The current measles outbreak is considered the worst in 30 years, and Gaines has the highest unvaccinated rate in the state at 18% for the current school year, according to Texas Public Radio. Although health officials declared measles eliminated in the U.S. more than two decades ago, it’s made a resurgence as social media and right-wing public officials have spread anti-vaccine rhetoric.

“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” DSHS officials said in a statement. “DSHS is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.”

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This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2025.