Topline
A measles outbreak in Texas has infected over 220 people as of Tuesday, though no new deaths have been reported days after a deceased man in a New Mexico county also experiencing an outbreak tested positive for the illness, though his official cause of death is still under investigation.
Eighteen people sickened with the virus have been hospitalized.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reservedKey Facts
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its outbreak had grown to 223 cases of measles as of Tuesday, with 29 of the patients having been hospitalized and one person confirmed dead from the illness.
The Texas health department said just five of the cases are in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the sick patients being unvaccinated (80) or having an unknown vaccination status (138).
Last week, the New Mexico Department of Health said a deceased man in Lea County who was unvaccinated against measles tested positive for the virus, though they said he did not seek medical care before passing and “the official cause of death is still under investigation.”
Lea County is home to all 30 of New Mexico’s confirmed measles cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas’ measles cases have been detected.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said last month the outbreak was “not unusual” before recently recognizing its “serious impact.”
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Where In Texas Is The Measles Outbreak?
Some 156 of the measles cases are located in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. The remaining cases are in Terry County (32), Dawson County (10), Yoakum County (10), Dallam County (5), Martin County (3), Lubbock County (3), Ector County (2) and Lynn County (2).
What Age Groups Is The Measles Outbreak Impacting In Texas?
Ninety-eight of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 76 cases were among children between the ages of zero and four and 38 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 11 patients have not been stated.
Are There Outbreaks In Other States?
Yes, there is an outbreak in New Mexico, where 30 cases have been reported in Lea County, which is on the border with Texas. Outside of Texas and New Mexico, anywhere from one to nine cases have been reported by the CDC in California, Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Health officials from Maryland, which is not marked on the CDC’s measles tracker, announced March 9 that a resident had tested positive for measles, also warning that anyone at Washington Dulles Airport’s international arrivals area on March 5 between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST may have been exposed to the virus as a result.
What Are Measles Symptoms?
Symptoms of measles include a fever, rash, cough, fatigue, runny nose and red eyes. The symptoms do not appear until 10 to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus.
How Contagious Is Measles?
Measles is highly contagious and can spread from one person to nine out of 10 people close to them, according to the CDC, which notes a person infected with measles can spread it to others four days before through four days after the rash appears. Measles can spread through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces.
Is There A Measles Vaccine?
Yes, and it is highly effective and safe, according to the CDC. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which has been available for over half a century, is about 97% effective at preventing measles with the standard two doses and 93% effective with one dose. The vaccine is typically given to people when they are children, with one dose administered between 12 to 15 months and another administered between four to six years old. The vaccine generally provides long-term or lifelong protection. There is no problem with getting the vaccine if you are an adult unsure of their vaccination status, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told NPR. Adults born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider getting revaccinated, NPR reported, noting early measles vaccines are not as effective.
What Has Rfk Jr. Said About The Measles Outbreak And Vaccine?
After claiming the outbreak is “not unusual,” Kennedy changed his stance and considered it “serious,” saying in a March 3 statement “the measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.” Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, said vaccines contribute to community immunity, but did not explicitly tell people to get vaccinated and noted the “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” He also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with mild, moderate, and severe infection, creating concerns among health experts who have cautioned about the vitamin’s effectiveness. Sue Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The Washington Post that solely relying on vitamin A instead of the MMR vaccine is “dangerous and ineffective” and can put children at risk, noting too much vitamin A can “cause serious health problems, including liver damage.” Meanwhile, advocacy non-profit Children’s Health Defense, which was founded and once chaired by RFK Jr., has attacked the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine and quoted skeptics who claimed measles was “an insignificant inconvenience until we turned it into a literal neurological damage nightmare through the MMR vaccine campaign.”
Crucial Quote
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” according to The Texas Department of State Health Services.
Key Background
The Texas measles outbreak began in late January with just two cases and has become the state’s largest outbreak of the virus in 30 years. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a report of student immunization status for the 2023-2024 school year that 5.64% of Texas kindergarten students were not vaccinated for measles, while 2.34% of seventh graders had not received the vaccine. Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S. In 2024, a total of 285 measles cases were reported across 33 states.
Further Reading
Measles cases are rising in the U.S. Do adults need a vaccine booster? (NPR)
Read the full article here
