Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico rise to 294 as outbreak spreads

Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico rose to 294 on Friday, surpassing all cases registered in the US in 2024, as an outbreak that began in late January in western Texas spread.
The US registered a total of 285 infections last year, based on data from the US Disease Control and Prevention Center.
The cases in New Mexico and Texas have increased by 38 in the last three days, according to data from the health departments of both states on Friday.
There were 174 cases in Gaines County, Texas, the center of the outbreak, compared to 156 cases on March 11. To date, 34 patients have been hospitalized in the state.
In New Mexico, the cases increased from 33 to 35 on Friday, including two cases in Eddy County and the rest in Lea County, which is adjacent to Gaines County.
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Department of Health reported two “likely” cases after individuals exposed to the Tex and New Mexico outbreaks showed symptoms similar to those of measles.
Daniel Nichols, Virologist at Seton Hall University, said it is difficult to say at this stage if the outbreak is spreading beyond the two states.
“But at the moment, with the cases still increasing, it’s still a big concern,” he said.
In February, an unpaid child, without underlying health problems, died of measles in Texas, marking the first death of the disease in the US since 2015. Another death of an unpaid adult in New Mexico is still being investigated.
The growing outbreak is the first major challenge for US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime skeptic regarding vaccines that emphasized parents’ role in the decision to vaccinate their children.
The CDC states that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) is the most important tool to prevent measles.
The Texas Department of Health has classified 257 patients as “not vaccinated or unknown”, ie people without documented doses of measles vaccine more than 14 days before the appearance of symptoms.
After additional investigation, Texas’s health department said it had removed a resident of case counting lubbock county, as test results determined that he was suffering a reaction to the vaccine and was not infected.
The side effects of the vaccine include arm pain, fever, light rash and temporary joint pain or stiffness according to the CDC.
(Report by Bhanvi Satija and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru)