Topline
The number of measles cases exceeded 500 in Texas on Tuesday, according to the state’s health department, which made the update days after a second Texas child died after contracting the highly contagious illness that has been confirmed in at least 20 states.
Most of the cases in the U.S. are centered in Texas.
Key Facts
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its measles outbreak had grown to 505 cases as of Tuesday, with 57 of the patients having been hospitalized and two children confirmed dead from the illness.
The Texas health department said 10 of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 495 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status.
An eight-year-old girl died Thursday in Lubbock, Texas, of “measles pulmonary failure” after contracting the disease, The New York Times reported, with the hospital where she died, UMC Health System, confirming the second measles death in Texas to media outlets Sunday, noting the child was unvaccinated and did not have any underlying health conditions.
An unvaccinated six-year-old also died of measles in February, marking the first death from measles in the U.S. in a decade.
There are 607 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. so far this year, according to a Friday update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, far surpassing the 285 measles cases recorded in the entirety of 2024.
In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 53 of the state’s 56 confirmed measles cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas’ measles cases have been detected.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 24 confirmed cases as of Tuesday and Jill Bronaugh, the department’s communications director, told Forbes genetic sequencing of one case is “consistent” with a link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.
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Where In Texas Is The Measles Outbreak?
There are 328 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. Cases have reached double digits in Terry County (46), Lubbock County (36), Dawson County (20), Yoakum County (17), Lamar County (11) and Cochran County (10), with a total of 21 Texas counties confirming cases of the illness.
What Age Groups Is The Measles Outbreak Impacting In Texas?
One hundred and ninety-one of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 160 cases were among children younger than five and 130 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 24 patients have not been stated.
Are There Outbreaks In Other States?
Outside of Texas, New Mexico and Kansas, anywhere from one to nine cases have been reported by the CDC in California, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Rhode Island.
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 and can appear as late as 21 days after exposure.
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 and linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after infected people leave a given area.
What Is The Isolation Protocol For Measles?
People infected with measles should isolate for four days after they develop a rash, with the day of rash onset being considered day zero.
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 initially claiming the measles outbreak was “not unusual,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. changed his stance and considered it “serious,” saying in a since-removed March 3 statement the outbreak “is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.” On April 6, Kennedy said the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.” In a separate follow-up post, the HHS leader touted “two extraordinary healers” who treated measles-sickened children in Texas with budesonide, an anti-inflammatory steroid, and clarithromycin, an antibiotic used on bacterial infections. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, told NPR that budesonide has no role in treating measles while clarithromycin is not the correct antibiotic for treating secondary bacterial infections from measles. Kennedy furthered his support for the vaccine in an interview with CBS News, saying, “The federal government’s position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine,” though he did not say the government should mandate the vaccine. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with measles, 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.”
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)
