The count of measles cases connected to an outbreak in West Texas has escalated to 58, as reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The majority of the cases are clustered in Gaines County, which is registering 45 cases. Beyond that, neighboring areas are also witnessing the spread of the illness, with 9 cases in Terry County, two in Yoakum County, one in Lynn County, and one in Lubbock County. The cases predominantly involve children aged 5 to 17. While most instances involve unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, there have been four cases of measles among vaccinated individuals. Further details regarding these four cases are not currently available. Symptoms began to manifest in all cases within the last three weeks, with thirteen of those affected requiring hospitalization.
Local health departments in West Texas are conducting free vaccination clinics for the community. At a clinic organized by the South Plains Public Health District, encompassing Gaines County, at least 95 measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations have been administered, according to Zach Holbrooks, the health district’s executive director. The clinic has recently extended its operating hours to offer vaccinations seven days a week. Given the high contagiousness of measles, health experts caution that the number of cases may continue to rise in the area.
Measles is an airborne disease characterized by symptoms such as rash, fever, red eyes, and cough. Severe cases can lead to complications like blindness, pneumonia, or encephalitis, which is the swelling of the brain. In certain instances, measles can be fatal. Vaccine coverage, particularly for the MMR vaccine, remains low in Gaines County, where nearly 1 in 5 incoming kindergartners for the 2023-24 school year did not receive the vaccine.
Additional affected counties in Texas also fall below the target of having at least 95% of kindergarten children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, a benchmark established by the US Department of Health and Human Services to deter outbreaks of this highly transmissible disease. Lynn, Lubbock, and Yoakum counties are all hovering around 92%, as per data from the Texas Department of Health. The US has now missed meeting this threshold for four consecutive years.
In a neighboring county, Lea County, New Mexico, which shares a border with Gaines County, Texas, eight measles cases have been identified, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. The agency has not confirmed any direct contact with the cases in Texas. The most recent five cases, reported on Tuesday, involve a single isolating family.
Out of the total eight cases in Lea County, six pertain to unvaccinated individuals. The remaining two individuals believe they were vaccinated, as stated by Robert Nott, the communications director for the state health department. None of the eight cases required hospitalization. The New Mexico health department is also
