A measles outbreak in West Texas, which has affected over 500 people, shows no signs of slowing down. The state’s largest measles outbreak in over 30 years has led public health experts to warn that a playbook for slowing outbreaks like this one is essential: identify cases, isolate patients, track exposures, and drive up vaccination rates.
Vaccination rates have dipped across the US, with Texas reporting a decline in kindergarteners’ measles immunization rates from 95% to 82% between 2019 and 2023. This has contributed to the state’s largest outbreak in decades. Experts say misinformation about vaccines has played a significant role, leading some parents to stop vaccinating their children.
To combat the outbreak, local health officials are following established protocols: conducting contact tracing, encouraging isolation, and ramping up testing and vaccination efforts. However, the lack of federal support is hindering these efforts. Proposed funding cuts have terminated hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for immunization programs, leaving some local health departments struggling to cope.
As the outbreak continues to spread, experts warn that it could take a year to bring case counts back down to zero. The situation highlights the importance of vaccination rates and the need for effective communication from public health officials to combat misinformation and promote herd immunity.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5342706/texas-measles-outbreak-vaccine-seminole-gaines