The number of measles cases linked to an outbreak in West Texas has grown to 58, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Most of the cases are centered in Gaines County, which is reporting 45 cases. Other surrounding areas are seeing spread of the illness too, with 9 cases in Terry County, two in Yoakum County, one in Lynn County and one in Lubbock County.
The cases are mostly in children ages 5 to 17. Although most of the cases are in unvaccinated people or those whose vaccination status is unknown, there were four cases of measles in people who said they had been vaccinated. No other details were immediately available about those four people.
In all of the cases, symptoms began in the past three weeks. Thirteen of the people have been hospitalized.
Local health departments in West Texas are hosting free vaccination clinics for the community. There have been at least 95 measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations at a clinic hosted by the South Plains Public Health District, which includes Gaines County, according to Zach Holbrooks, the health district’s executive director. The clinic recently expanded its hours to be open seven days a week for vaccinations.
Given how contagious measles is, health officials warn that cases may continue to rise in the area.
Measles is an airborne illness that can cause rash, fever, red eyes and cough. Severe cases can result in blindness, pneumonia or encephalitis, swelling of the brain. In some cases, the illness can be fatal.
Coverage of the MMR vaccine is particularly low in Gaines County, where nearly 1 in 5 incoming kindergartners in the 2023-24 school year did not get the vaccine.
Other affected Texas counties also fall below the goal that at least 95% of children in kindergarten will have gotten two doses of the MMR vaccine, a threshold set by the US Department of Health and Human Services to help prevent outbreaks of the highly contagious disease. Lynn, Lubbock and Yoakum counties all stand around 92%, according to data from the Texas Department of Health.
The US has now fallen short of that threshold for four years in a row.
Eight cases of measles have also been detected in Lea County, New Mexico, which borders Gaines County, Texas, the New Mexico Department of Health said. The agency has not confirmed any direct contact with the Texas cases.
The five newest cases, reported Tuesday, are in a single family that is isolating.
Of the eight total cases in Lea County, six are in unvaccinated people. The other two people believe they were vaccinated, according to Robert Nott, the state health department communications director. None of the eight has been hospitalized.
The New Mexico health department is also holding free vaccination clinics for Lea County.
There were 285 measles cases reported in the US last year, the most since 2019, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that the four Texas patients who were vaccinated self-reported their status, according to the state health department.
