On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services provided an update on the measles outbreak in there. Authorities reported there were 159 cases have been identified with 22 of the patients being hospitalized in western counties in the state. Gaines county has reported the highest number of cases with 107. There has been 1 death of a school-aged child that was not vaccinated.1
There has been 80 cases in unvaccinated children, 74 cases in individuals with unknown vaccine status, and 5 in people who were vaccinated with at least 1 dose.1 Typically it takes 2 doses of the MMR vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated.
Additionally there are 4 cases in Texas that are not associated with the outbreak in West Texas. These cases were associated with international travel.1
Read more: Measles: The Canary in the Coal Mine for Childhood Vaccine Decline
In light of the severity of this outbreak, Texas state officials are working with the CDC to address it. The CDC has a platform called Epi-Aid where when a request is put in, the federal agency can respond by helping to investigate a public health issue such as an outbreak. The CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) responds to these requests.1 According to a message on X, CDC said EIS officers provide local officials onsite support for 1-3 weeks, aiding in quick decision-making to control health threats. The local authority leads the investigation while collaborating with CDC experts.2
“The measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health. By working together —parents, healthcare providers, community leaders, and government officials, we can prevent future outbreaks and protect the health of our nation. Under my leadership, HHS is and will always be committed to radical transparency to regain the public’s trust in its health agencies,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, said in a statement.2
Cases Outside Texas
As of this past Tuesday, the New Mexico Department of Health reports 9 cases of measles in Lea County. This has not changed in recent days.3
Additionally, there has been some measles cases in the northeast including 2 cases in New York City, 3 cases in New Jersey and 1 case in Pennsylvania. Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, and Rhode Island have also reported cases. As of February 27, 93% of cases are outbreak-associated. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024 and 69% of cases were outbreak-associated. A handful of other states are also reporting small numbers of cases.4
The CDC is expected to update its website for the total number of cases in the US on Friday.
