Measles Outbreak in Texas Sickens 24

A worsening measles outbreak in Texas has infected 24 people and hospitalised nine, with cases concentrated in Gaines County, where childhood vaccination rates have declined in recent years, The New York Times reports. Health officials confirmed that all infected individuals—22 children and two adults—were unvaccinated.

According to The New York Times, public health experts fear that such outbreaks could become more common as vaccine hesitancy grows nationwide. Dr Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at Duke University, warned that declining vaccination rates increase the risk of preventable diseases spreading.

Gaines County, which borders New Mexico and has a population of around 20,000, has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in Texas. More than 13% of students in the county have opted out of required immunisations for religious or personal reasons. While Texas mandates vaccinations for school enrolment, parents can apply for exemptions based on “reasons of conscience.”

Local health officials have responded by setting up drive-through vaccination clinics in Seminole, a city with a large Mennonite community. According to The New York Times, these clinics have been well attended as authorities work to contain the outbreak.

Measles can lead to serious complications, particularly in young children, including pneumonia and brain swelling. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that one in five unvaccinated measles patients requires hospitalisation. In this outbreak, all hospitalised patients have been school-age children, with several admitted to intensive care.

State health officials caution that more cases may emerge in surrounding communities due to the highly contagious nature of measles. Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that New Mexico has confirmed a separate measles case in a teenager living near the Texas border, though there is no known link to the Gaines County outbreak.