Measles cases continue to increase in rural areas of Texas, with 124 confirmed

Brownfield, Texas (AP) – Measles outbreak In West Texas, nine counties have grown to 124 cases, the state health department said Tuesday, with 18 people hospitalised.

Outbreaks are Mennonite communities, primarily spread in areas where small towns are separated by vast open lands with oil-equipped equipment. .

Republican Brownfield Mayor Eric Horton said he was Measles, mumps, rupture (MMR) vaccines have been in use for many years and have stopped spreading measles in the US

Brownfield is located in Terry County and has 21 cases.

“I've never seen this so close,” Horton said. “I know we've had some outbreaks over the past few years, but it's shocking because we've made national news up until now.”

In neighbouring eastern New Mexico, measles case counts remained stable at 9am on Tuesday. State public health officials said last week there was no evidence yet that the New Mexico outbreak was linked to the Texas outbreak.

Measles is a very contagious disease. Here's what you need to know about how to protect yourself from measles and what's going on in Texas and New Mexico:

Where is measles spreading?

Tuesday's count in West Texas has increased by 34 from Friday. Cases continue to be concentrated in Gaines County, where there are 80 infections, and Terry County, north of Gaines, now 21 years old.

There are seven in Dawson County, east of Gaines. There are five in Yoakum County. There are two in Ector County. And Lubbock and Lynn counties each have their own cases. Martin County, near Gaines, is new in three cases.

The province also has four incidents in Durham County, located in the corner of the state's Panhandle region, hundreds of miles north of Gaines County, and travelled to Sun in mid-February. He said there are potential revelation from people. Marcos, San Antonio, New Braunfels.

Data from the Texas Department of Health shows that the majority of cases are among those younger than 18:39. Eighteen adults have measles, and five cases have “pending” their age determination.

State health officials say the outbreak is in Texas. The largest in nearly 30 years. Health Department spokesperson Lala Anton said cases were concentrated in “close, subtle, unbactinized” Mennonite communities, particularly among families attending or homeschooling small private religious schools. He says he is doing so.

The dad of three, Brownfield resident, told The Associated Press that he wasn't too worried about the outbreak.

“I only knew because it was word of mouth,” said Dylan Cruz, 28, whose child has been vaccinated from measles.

In New Mexico, all cases are in Lee County, adjacent to Gaines County, Texas. The state health department says people may have been exposed to grocery stores, elementary schools, churches, Norley Hospital and Walgreens in Hobbs, New Mexico.

What is measles?

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to 2 hours. Of the 10 most susceptible people, up to nine will ingest the virus if exposed. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most children recover from measles when they acquire measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, swelling of the brain, and death.

Is the vaccine safe?

The MMR vaccine is safe and is extremely effective in preventing severe cases of measles infection and disease.

The first shot is recommended for children between 12-15 months and 4-6 years old. The vaccine series is needed for children before kindergarten in public schools across the country.

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.

Despite now controversial research, there is no link between vaccines and autism Health False Information.

Why is vaccination rates important?

In communities with high vaccination rates, diseases like measles struggle to spread to communities, over 95%. This is called “swar immunity.”

However, childhood vaccination rates have fallen nationwide as the pandemic and more parents advocate for exemptions of religious or personal conscience to exempt children from the necessary shots. Masu.

The US saw it Increase in measles cases in 2024including outbreaks in Chicago I've been sick over 60. Five years ago, measles cases were the worst in almost 30 years in 2019.

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.

What are public health officials doing to stop spreads?

Health officials in New Mexico are Hosting Vaccination Clinic Wednesday and Thursday.

In Texas, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control provides “technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as needed,” authorities told the Associated Press. However, the state health department is taking the lead in an outbreak investigation.

Workers in the West Texas area have held regular vaccination clinics and screening efforts and have been working with the school to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offering shots. .

Dr. Martin Ortega said he is the family medicine physician of Texas Technician in the Permian Basin of Ector County – Odessa, the county health department said. Odessa American My child was too young to get measles to get vaccinated.

Ortega said the vast distance between people in West Texans is a unique challenge for health officials.

“We are interconnected and we don't think we are far from each other, so we put us in higher alerts that share us,” he said.

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Mary Conlon of Associated Press VideoJournalist contributed to this report.

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