Health
Thirteen people have been hospitalized as the ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas rose to 48 cases
The ongoing outbreak of measles in western Texas doubled to 48 cases, primarily in children and teens, marking the state's worst in nearly 30 years.
State health officials said in a news release that people who were infected on Friday have not been vaccinated or that their vaccination status is unknown. Thirteen people have been hospitalized.
According to Texas Department of Health spokesman Lara Anton, the incident is focused on “close, subtle, unabsorbed” Mennonite communities. Gaines County is so rural that many families are sent their children to small private schools or homeschooled, Anton said.
“The church is not the reason they are not vaccinated,” Anton said. “It's all a personal choice and you can do whatever you want. That means the community doesn't do and get regular health care.”
Anton said the state is working with local health officials to increase screening and vaccination efforts. Health officials are also working to educate school officials on identifying measles symptoms and encouraging families to vaccinate their children.
The outbreak is located in a densely populated belt in Texas, near the New Mexico border, and extends from the epicenter of Gaines County and includes single-digit incidents in Lynn, Terry and Yoakham counties.
One case was reported in Lee County, New Mexico, where residents were warned Tuesday in an unvaccinated teenager's measles incident. The New Mexico Department of Health said the teens had no recent trips or exposure to known cases from the Texas outbreak.
Data from the Texas Department of Health Services show that in 1996 there were 49 cases of measles in Texas. In 2013, 27 cases were reported after people travelling to Asia interacted with the vaccine-based community, the state reported.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that can survive in the air for up to 2 hours. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine out of 10 susceptible people will be ingested when exposed. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the US saw approximately 3-4 million cases a year. Currently, it is usually under 200 in a normal year.
The US saw an increase in measles incidents in 2024. This included more than 60 outbreaks in Chicago.
The two-shot series of measles vaccinations are required for most American kindergarteners to enroll in public schools.
Texas law allows children to receive school vaccine exemptions on reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs. State data shows that the percentage of children with exemptions has risen from 0.76% in 2014 to 2.32% last year over the past decade.
Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas for school-age children, with almost 14% of K-12 children from 2023-24, opting out of at least one needed vaccine. Health officials say the number is likely to be high as it does not include many children who are homeschooled and have no data reported.
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