The measles outbreak in West Texas is nearing 200 cases, according to a Friday morning update from the state health department.
Health officials said 198 cases have been identified since late January. Twenty-three of those patients have been hospitalized, and one school-age, unvaccinated child has died.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world and spreads mostly among unvaccinated people. Three months in, Texas has already reported more measles cases in 2025 than in any other full year since 1992.
Of the 198 cases, 80 were in people who were unvaccinated, and 113 were in people whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the state health department.
The outbreak started in Gaines County, near the New Mexico border. At 137 cases, it is still home to a vast majority of patients. Terry County follows at 29.
Texas’ count doesn’t include 30 measles cases reported in New Mexico, which officials have said were likely connected to the West Texas outbreak.
While there’s no evidence the outbreak has spread to North Texas, doctors say they’re preaching the same thing to every concerned parent: Make sure you and your children are vaccinated.
“The most robust way that we have to prevent measles is by the vaccination,” said Dr. Carla Garcia Carreno, the medical director for Infection Prevention and Control at Children’s Medical Center Plano. “It’s a very effective vaccine and it’s a very safe vaccine.”
The two-dose MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing the illness, which means vaccinated people are unlikely to catch the virus. Health experts recommend the first dose be administered to babies between 12 and 15 months old, with the second dose administered when the child is 4 to 6 years old.
