The measles outbreak in West Texas, which hospitalized nearly 100 children and killed two young kids, has officially ended, according to state health officials. The announcement comes after no new cases have been reported for 42 days.
The outbreak, which spread to New Mexico and Oklahoma, is still ongoing in the Southwest region. Measles cases in the US have declined steadily since peaking in late March, with only eight new cases reported in July and none in August. However, travel-related cases persist in other areas, including Canada and Mexico.
Vaccination rates among American children entering kindergarten fell during the 2024-25 school year, according to CDC data. The percentage of students granted exemptions from vaccines has risen sharply over the past decade. Immunization rates must stay above 95% to prevent the spread of the virus.
Local officials in Texas are cautiously optimistic about the end of the outbreak, but acknowledge that it didn’t result from widespread vaccination efforts. Instead, the virus ran out of vulnerable people to infect. Experts point to the Trump administration’s policies, including cutting funding for local health departments and legitimating health misinformation, as contributing factors to the outbreak.
“This was a case study of what may become more common in the future,” said Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas. “The hope that living through a deadly measles outbreak would change public perceptions about vaccination has been disabused.”
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/well/texas-measles-outbreak-over.html