West Texas faces its largest measles outbreak in over 30 years, with over 500 cases reported and expanding to New Mexico and Oklahoma. The outbreak, linked to declining vaccination rates and misinformation, has resulted in three deaths, including an unvaccinated child. Local health officials emphasize the importance of vaccination and established measures like case identification, patient isolation, and contact tracing. Despite efforts to increase vaccination, challenges persist, particularly as Texas lawmakers consider easing vaccine mandates. Conflicting public messages about vaccines may hinder local health responses, alongside potential federal funding cuts impacting immunization programs. The outbreak is expected to continue for an extended period.
Signs direct individuals to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District opposite Wigwam Stadium on February 27, 2025, in Seminole, Texas.
Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images
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Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images
The decreasing vaccination rates in West Texas have resulted in the state experiencing its largest measles outbreak in over three decades, with more than 500 reported cases as of April 8, which have spread to New Mexico and Oklahoma. Last week, an unvaccinated child in Texas succumbed to measles, marking the third related death in this outbreak.
Public health officials emphasize that there are established procedures for controlling outbreaks like this: Identify affected individuals, isolate those infected, track their movements, and encourage vaccinations. Most importantly, ramping up vaccination rates is crucial.
“That’s the method to halt it. The situation can only be resolved with immunity,” stated Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at The Brown University School of Public Health.
This approach is not new. The advantages of measles vaccination have been well-documented for over fifty years. The arrival of the vaccine in the 1960s meant that parents could avoid the severe complications or fatalities associated with this prevalent childhood disease.
By the year 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. — a success attributed to widespread vaccination. However, misinformation regarding the vaccine started to circulate around that same era.
Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, the largest city affected by this outbreak in West Texas, reported that she is currently witnessing the effects of this misinformation.
“In discussions with the community, it’s clear they effectively halted vaccinations around two decades ago, aligning with trends seen in various communities across the U.S.,” she noted.
The vaccine is regarded as safe and effective by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with rare and typically mild side effects.
However, vaccination rates in the U.S. for various diseases, including measles and flu, have declined over the last five years, according to CDC data.
In Texas, measles vaccination rates among kindergarteners dropped by approximately 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, as reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
This trend is also reflected at the national level, according to CDC data.
In Gaines County, the center of the West Texas outbreak, only about 82% of kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles for the 2023-24 school year, significantly below the 95% threshold recommended by the World Health Organization to sustain herd immunity.
Wells mentioned that she and her team have intensified testing and vaccination efforts in the region, achieving some success.
Nonetheless, it’s a challenging fight.
“The uptake of vaccines has […] certainly been challenging. I want to be candid about that,” Wells remarked.
She stated that her department is adhering to the established measles management strategies: conducting contact tracing, informing the public about potential exposures, and advising isolation protocols.
Without a declared public health emergency in Texas, local authorities are unable to implement more stringent measures, such as preemptively quarantining unvaccinated children.
Chris Van Deusen, director of media relations for the Texas Department of State Health Services, indicated that there are currently no plans to declare an emergency.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arriving at Reinlander Mennonite Church following the second measles-related death of a child, on Sunday in Seminole, Texas.
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Annie Rice/AP
Conflicting language
As the outbreak continues to expand, various bills intended to ease vaccine mandates are under consideration by the Republican-led Texas Legislature.
On a national level, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has occasionally downplayed the significance of vaccines and advocated for unverified alternative treatments for measles.
In a recent op-ed, he proposed that vitamin A could “significantly lessen measles mortality.”
While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends administering two doses of vitamin A to children to alleviate measles symptoms, particularly for those hospitalized, it is important to note that vitamin A is not a cure and does not stop the spread of the disease.
After a second child in Texas died from measles last weekend, Kennedy released a statement on social media asserting that he visited the family of the deceased child. He noted in the statement that vaccines remain the most effective defense against the disease.
Nuzzo indicated that mixed messaging complicates the efforts of health professionals managing the outbreak at the local level.
“I believe the inconsistent federal communications are confusing the situation and making the jobs of local officials responding to this outbreak more difficult,” she explained.
Proposed cuts to federal funding also present challenges.
In March, the Department of Government Efficiency announced it would terminate hundreds of millions in grants to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Van Deusen noted that over 50 local health departments were notified to halt expenditures related to the affected federal grants, some of which have been allocated for vaccination initiatives.
Lacey Nobles, Lubbock’s director of communications, stated that the city is still evaluating the local impact of the lost funding.
As confirmed cases in Texas exceed 500, Wells is preparing for a lengthy response.
“We are facing a significant outbreak, and we are still ramping up the number of cases,” she remarked.
She anticipates it will take a year for the case count to return to zero.