A measles outbreak that infected over 700 people in Texas has officially been declared over, state health officials announced on Monday. The outbreak led to the deaths of two unvaccinated school-aged children. After 42 days without a new case, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) declared the outbreak over.
The cluster of cases was reported in western Texas near Gaines County in late January and spread rapidly across the state, with nearly 100 people hospitalized. The majority of infections were among children, according to the DSHS. Infections also spread to New Mexico, where another unvaccinated person died after contracting measles.
Texas health officials warned that the state is likely to experience additional cases this year due to ongoing outbreaks in other parts of the U.S. and the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 1,350 cases of measles across at least 40 states, making it the highest number of measles cases seen in the U.S. since 1992.
Experts say that declining vaccination rates have led to a growing number of outbreaks annually, with an estimated 92% of cases nationally this year being unvaccinated or having unknown vaccination status. The 2024-2025 school year saw a record number of non-medical vaccine exemptions, with 286,000 kindergarteners attending school without documentation of receiving the measles vaccine.
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for children in the U.S. to receive after their first birthday, followed by a second dose in between ages four and six. Two doses of the vaccine have been shown to be 97% effective against infection.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/measles-outbreak-sickened-700-declared-texas/story?id=124749372