Nearly 100 people have contracted measles in Texas and New Mexico due to declining vaccination rates, according to state health officials. Since late January, the outbreak has primarily affected the South Plains region of Texas, particularly Gaines County, where vaccination rates are significantly below federal targets. So far, 90 cases have been reported, with 77 involving children, and 16 hospitalizations. The outbreak coincides with concerns about vaccine skepticism, highlighted by the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary. Local health departments are expanding vaccination clinics to combat the outbreak, which reflects a rise in measles cases nationally.
Recent measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico have affected nearly 100 individuals, according to state health officials, who cautioned that the number of confirmed cases is anticipated to increase.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Friday that an outbreak has been ongoing in the South Plains area of Texas since late January, where vaccination rates fall significantly short of federal goals.
As of Friday, 90 measles cases have been confirmed by the department, with at least 77 of those cases involving children. Sixteen individuals have been hospitalized, according to the report.
This spike in cases comes amid rising alarm from public health experts about falling vaccination rates, coinciding with the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known vaccine skeptic, as the nation’s health secretary.
Mr. Kennedy has referenced controversial studies regarding vaccine side effects and has committed to closely examining childhood vaccinations.
In Texas, most of the cases are centered in Gaines County, a rural area near the New Mexico border. Only five of the 90 reported cases involved vaccinated individuals, while the remainder were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown, according to the department.
The New Mexico Department of Health announced that it had identified nine measles cases in Lea County, which borders the affected region in Texas. Four of those infected are children, according to the department’s report.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is collaborating with local health departments to investigate the outbreak. Local agencies have increased their vaccination clinics and testing sites in an effort to control the spread of the disease.
Free walk-in vaccination services are being provided in Seminole in Gaines County and in Lea County, New Mexico.
In Texas, children are required to receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (M.M.R.) vaccine to enroll in public schools, although exemptions can be requested for personal beliefs. However, Gaines County reported one of the highest exemption rates in the state last year, with over 13 percent of K-12 students exempted from vaccination, based on state statistics.
Last year, the vaccination rate for kindergarteners receiving the M.M.R. vaccine in the county was 82 percent, which is roughly 10 percentage points below the state average for Texas public schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) indicates that when vaccination coverage exceeds 95 percent in a community, herd immunity provides protection for most individuals.
Measles outbreaks, known to be among the most contagious diseases, have been reported in various areas across the globe. This is also true within the United States, where the disease was previously deemed eliminated.
According to the C.D.C., there were 285 reported cases in the United States across more than 30 states in 2024.
Measles can lead to severe health complications or even death. The C.D.C. reports that approximately one in five unvaccinated people who contract measles require hospitalization.
National measles vaccination rates had already been on the decline since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, dropping below 93 percent last year.