The number of cases in a West Texas measles outbreak has grown to 58, state health officials said Tuesday. File Photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Lotz/U.S. Air Force
Feb. 19 (UPI) — The number of measles cases in an outbreak in West Texas continues to grow, with 58 patients confirmed in communities near the border with New Mexico.
The Texas Department of State Health Services announced the number of cases in a statement Tuesday, marking an increase of 10 patients from late last week.
Thirteen of the patients have been hospitalized, with all but four of the 58 cases having been unvaccinated in a state where laws permit school children to be exempt from mandatory vaccines for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs.
According to health officials and state data, 33 of the cases are in Gaines County, where nearly 18% of K-12 students were exempt from at least one vaccine, making it among counties with the highest exemption rates in the state. At one school, according to state data, nearly half of all students were exempted from at least one vaccine.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” Texas health officials said.
Measles cases have been diagnosed in at least six states, with New Mexico confirming three cases last week in Lea County, which borders Texas’ Gaines County.
Texas had fewer than nine cases for all of last year, according to federal data.
In 2024, there were 285 measles cases throughout the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Nearly 90% of those infected were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
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