The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 30 more cases in a measles outbreak in the western part of the state near the New Mexico border, as the New Mexico Department of health added 4 new cases to its total, pushing the outbreak total to 351.
Meanwhile, as global cases surge, a handful of states reported new cases in people who had connections to international travel. In a weekly update today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has received reports of 378 cases this year, well past the 285 cases reported for all of 2024.
The cases are from 18 jurisdictions, and 90% are linked to three outbreaks. The CDC’s update includes the first cases of the year from Kansas, Ohio, and Michigan. Kansas last week reported its first measles infection since 2018, and media reports say at least six cases have been reported in the southwest part of the state in Grant and Stevens counties.
Steady rise in Texas hot spot
Texas has now reported cases from 14 counties, though most are in Gaines County where the outbreak began in a Mennonite community that has low childhood immunization levels. So far, 40 patients have been hospitalized, and the number of deaths remains at one.
Of the state’s 309 cases, 307 were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. TDSHS added that three cases reported earlier as vaccinated were determined to be unvaccinated, two of whom were immunized 1 or 2 days before their symptoms began. Another was a Lubbock resident who had a vaccine reaction rather than a measles infection; that case has been removed from the outbreak total.
Officials said they expect more cases in the outbreak area, due to the highly contagious nature of the disease.
Meanwhile, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) reported four new cases today, raising the state’s total to 42. All of the new cases are from Lea County, which borders the Gaines County hot spot in Texas.
Oklahoma had earlier reported four probable cases that are linked to the Texas outbreak.
States track exposures
Amid the growing outbreak centered in west Texas, state health departments are on high alert and tracking potential exposures.
Earlier this week, New Mexico officials warned of potential exposure in Guadalupe and Valencia counties after a Texas traveler visited the area while infectious with measles. Exposure sites included a travel center, a hotel, a restaurant, and a church.
So far, no cases have been reported from either of the counties. Miranda Durham, MD, NMDH’s chief medical officer, said, "When someone with measles travels, the virus can spread to unprotected communities—particularly during high-travel periods like spring break. Vaccination is our strongest defense: one dose of vaccine is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective.”
Vaccination is our strongest defense: one dose of vaccine is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective.
Elsewhere, the Alabama Department of Public Health said yesterday that it is investigating possible exposures after it was notified that an unvaccinated child who traveled through the state tested positive for measles.
More cases linked to international travel
Meanwhile, the number of cases linked to international travel continues to grow. The Ohio Department of Health yesterday reported its first case of the year, which involves an unvaccinated adult from Ashtabula County who had contact with someone who recently traveled internationally.
Also, the Maryland Department of Health yesterday reported two cases in Prince George County residents who recently traveled together internationally. In California, the Tuolumne County Public Health Department reported two cases, an adult and a child who had recently traveled internationally.
