United States: The measles epidemic in the western Texas region rises further with 18 fresh affliction reported in the last five days, which brings the total count up to 327, revealed statistics on Tuesday.
Three of the patients are even unvaccinated while others are vaccinated but particulars about their vaccination were not ascertained, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has revealed. Thus, at least 40 people were hospitalized.
In the analysed information, there have been only two instances of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine-associated cases that involved fully vaccinated individuals.
From the Texas data, it is clear that children and teenagers between 5 and 17 years constituted 140, while children below the age of 4 were 105 as mentioned earlier.
Because of the highly contagious nature of this disease, more cases from the outbreak area and its surrounding communities can be expected to be added in this outbreak.” The department said that DSHS is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.
Situation awareness: Texas measles outbreak grows to 327 cases with 18 confirmed infections over last 5 days: Officials https://t.co/0X6EyygQL1
— National Pediatric Disaster Coalition (NPDC) (@npdcoalition) March 26, 2025
That makes it another case of measles in New Mexico, the most recent of 43 such cases in the state that the Department of Health reported this week. Most of the cases are in Lea County, which borders Gaines County, the center of Texas outbreak.
Now, nine cases of confirmed or probable measles have area residents in neighboring Oklahoma, all in people who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
The Department of Health also confirmed the case in Washington DC, one that was tied to Amtrak in a patient who traveled by the long-distance train from New York to D.C.
For example, Monday two people in Erie County, Pennsylvania, were confirmed to have measles, two people in Wayne County, Nevada, were diagnosed with rubella and one adult with rubella in the Northeast Region of Texas and Walker County, Texas, were also confirmed. The cases are connected to international travel and the general public is not considered to be at a high risk for exposure, Erie County Department of Health released a media release.
So far, two more likely measles deaths have been reported in the U.S. According to the DSHS, the first was an unvaccinated school-aged child in Texas. According to the department, the child had no known underlying condition.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data said the Texas death was the first measles death recorded in the U.S. in a decade.
An unvaccinated New Mexico resident reported as possible measles fatality, whose cause of death is under investigation. This year, there have been 378 cases and they are confirmed in 17 states, likely an undercount, according to the CDC. Cases affecting about 95 percent of people are unvaccinated or whose status is unknown. Two MMR doses are recommended by the CDC, one has an efficacy of 93%, the second is 97%. ‘Booster” for most vaccinated adults is not necessary.’