Topline
A measles outbreak that began in Texas at the start of the year has infected nearly 330 people as of Tuesday, while cases of the highly contagious illness have been spotted Washington, D.C., and 17 states, exceeding the total number of measles cases reported in 2024.
Key Facts
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its measles outbreak had grown to 327 cases as of Friday, with 40 of the patients having been hospitalized and one person, a child, confirmed dead from the illness.
The Texas health department said just two of the cases were in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the 325 sick patients being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status.
There are some 378 cases in the U.S. so far this year, according to a Friday update from the CDC, surpassing the 285 measles cases recorded in the entirety of 2024.
Measles made its way to Washington, D.C., this week, with the district’s health department reporting Tuesday a person with one confirmed case visited multiple locations in the district while contagious, including Union Station, and traveled aboard an Amtrak Northeast Regional train.
In New Mexico, which has the second-highest number of measles cases in the country, Lea County is home to 41 of the state’s 43 confirmed measles cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas’ measles cases have been detected.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said last month the outbreak was “not unusual” before later recognizing its “serious impact.”
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Where In Texas Is The Measles Outbreak?
There are 226 measles cases located in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. The remaining cases are in Terry County (37), Dawson County (13), Yoakum County (13), Lubbock County (10), Dallam County (6), Lamar County (5), Martin County (3), Ector County (2) and Lynn County (1). Measles cases not associated with the larger outbreak in West Texas include cases in Harris County (3), Midland County (1), Rockwall County (1) and Travis County (1).
What Age Groups Is The Measles Outbreak Impacting In Texas?
One-hundred forty of the cases have been among people aged five to 17, while 105 cases were among children younger than five and 63 were reported among adults aged 18 and above. The ages of 19 patients have not been stated.
Are There Outbreaks In Other States?
Yes, there is an outbreak in New Mexico, where 43cases have been reported, 41 of which are in Lea County, an area on the border with Texas. Outside of Texas, New Mexico and Washington, D.C., anywhere from one to nine cases have been reported by the CDC in California, Washington, Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vermont, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. Health officials from Oklahoma, which is not marked on the CDC’s measles tracker, reported four “probable” cases of measles as of Tuesday.
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 claiming the outbreak is “not unusual,” Kennedy changed his stance and considered it “serious,” saying in a March 3 statement “the measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health.” Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, said vaccines contribute to community immunity, but did not explicitly tell people to get vaccinated and noted the “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” He also supported the use of vitamin A under the supervision of a physician to treat people with mild, moderate, and severe infection, 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.” Meanwhile, advocacy non-profit Children’s Health Defense, which was founded and once chaired by RFK Jr., has attacked the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine and quoted skeptics who claimed measles was “an insignificant inconvenience until we turned it into a literal neurological damage nightmare through the MMR vaccine campaign.”
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)
