West Texas measles outbreak climbs to 58 — with four saying they were vaccinated

An outbreak of measles in West Texas has grown to 58 cases, including four patients who said they were vaccinated against the disease.

Ten more cases were added to the Department of State Health Services' count Tuesday, including for the first time the four who self-reported they were vaccinated against the disease, according to the agency’s latest update. A spokesperson with DSHS said health investigators are in the process of confirming whether the four were, in fact, vaccinated against measles and how many doses they may have received.

DSHS initially warned of two cases of measles in underage children in Gaines County in late January. The disease has since spread to four other counties and 58 people — most of whom are children — but 45 of the cases are still in Gaines County. Lubbock County, which reported a single case, is the largest county in which a case was reported.

Thirteen patients have been hospitalized, according to DSHS, and spokesperson Lara Anton said officials are still unsure what the initial source of exposure was. The outbreak is Texas’ largest in more than 30 years, and comes at a time where vaccination rates among children have dropped. Almost 97% of Texas kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles in 2019, compared to 94.3% in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite the increase in infections among those potentially vaccinated, a DSHS spokesperson said virologists do not currently see “any evidence” the measles virus present in the patients has mutated into a vaccine-resistant variant.

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, commonly referred to as the MMR vaccine, is about 93% effective with one dose and 97% effective with two doses, according to the CDC. The first dose is usually administered to infants aged 12 to 15 months, while the second dose is given to kids between 4 and 6. Follow-up doses are not required if patients received them in their youth, and older eligible patients can be immunized at any period.

Measles’ symptoms include high fever, watery eyes, runny nose and rashes, which can be minor or full-body. Symptoms can become serious and even fatal, especially among children and those who are unvaccinated. One in five unvaccinated people who are infected are hospitalized, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

Part of what makes measles so infectious is the virus’ ability to stay active long after a patient has left, as the virus can stay active for up to two hours in the air and on surfaces, according to the World Health Organization.

Anton said the outbreak has especially affected the large Mennonite community in Gaines County. While the Mennonite Church does not forbid or disavow vaccinations, Anton said their communities tend to be undervaccinated, which drastically increases the likelihood of infection. Measles has a 90% infection rate among unvaccinated people who are exposed to the virus, according to WHO.

Alongside the decrease in vaccination numbers, Texas lawmakers have introduced over 20 bills into the Legislature aimed at loosening vaccine requirements across the state with the support of vaccine-hesitant or anti-vaccine groups.

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/18/texas-measles-outbreak-climbs/.

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