Health officials are closely monitoring a measles outbreak affecting Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, with concerns that it could continue for an extended period, CNN reports.
As of Tuesday, 321 cases have been reported across the three states, marking an increase of 25 cases since the previous update on Friday.
Texas has recorded the highest number of cases, with 279 linked to the outbreak. New Mexico has reported 38 cases, while Oklahoma previously confirmed four cases related to exposures from the Texas and New Mexico outbreak. The majority of infections have occurred in Gaines County, Texas, and Lea County, New Mexico, which share a border.
The outbreak has led to 38 hospitalizations, including two additional cases since last week. Young children have been particularly affected, with 95 cases reported in children up to age four and 130 cases among those aged five to 17.
Health officials have noted that most individuals affected by the outbreak were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. However, six cases have been reported in individuals who had received at least one dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine—two in Texas and four in New Mexico.
Last month, Texas recorded the first death linked to the outbreak: a school-aged child who was unvaccinated and had no underlying conditions. New Mexico health officials are currently investigating the cause of death of another unvaccinated individual who tested positive for measles.
Given the highly contagious nature of measles, experts anticipate further spread. Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock Public Health, expressed concern about the outbreak’s trajectory, stating:
“This is going to be a large outbreak, and we are still on the side where we are increasing the number of cases. … I’m really thinking this is going to be a year long.”
To control the outbreak, health officials emphasize the importance of vaccination and rapid case identification. In Chicago last year, a measles outbreak was contained at 64 cases after officials administered 30,000 MMR vaccinations to residents. Experts suggest that increasing vaccination efforts in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma could help limit further transmission.
Testing capacity has been expanded in Lubbock, Texas, near the outbreak’s epicenter, reducing the time needed for test results from 72 hours to the same day. Officials hope this will aid in tracking and controlling the virus’s spread more effectively.
Dr. Olusimbo Ige, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, noted that outbreaks will persist as long as there are unvaccinated individuals.
“It’s very hard to say it has peaked unless you have successfully vaccinated everyone who is unvaccinated,” Ige said.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of measles cases in the US has already surpassed last year’s total, with 353 cases reported as of March 18. In 2024, 285 cases were recorded nationwide. This marks only the third time since the disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 that an outbreak has exceeded 200 cases, with previous spikes occurring in 2014 and 2019.
Federal support remains a crucial factor in addressing the outbreak. Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, expressed concerns about potential budget and staffing cuts that could impact vaccination clinics and contact tracing efforts.
Health officials continue to urge the public to ensure they are vaccinated against measles, emphasizing that two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing the disease.
