The ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas has reached a staggering 124 cases, making it the largest cluster in the state in the past three decades.
Spectrum News’ Reena Jade Diamante revealed on X that the reported cases had crossed 100 in the past 24 hours.
She also revealed that 18 out of them had been hospitalized and only five of the cases out of 124 were vaccinated.
The majority of patients are unvaccinated or their vaccination status remains unknown.
Diamante posted: ‘An outbreak of measles cases in west Texas has grown to 124 people, according to state health officials.
’18 of the patients have been hospitalized. 5 of the cases are vaccinated. The rest are unvaccinated, or their vaccination status is unknown.’
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
The disease causes tiny white spots inside the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, ear infections and an intense fever.
In extreme cases, the disease can cause pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and may lead to death.
The outbreak is the state’s largest in nearly 30 years and has been concentrated in what the Texas Department of State Health Services called a ‘close-knit, under-vaccinated’ Mennonite community.
The ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas has reached a staggering 124 cases, making it the largest cluster in the state in the past three decades
The county is home to a significant Mennonite community, a Christian sect that has historically shown vaccine hesitancy.
As of February 24, the Texas State Health Department had revealed there were 90 cases of the virus in the South Plains region, including 16 hospitalizations, all of whom are children.
It has also spread into New Mexico, with nine cases currently confirmed.
The epicenter has previously been reported to be in Gaines County in west-central Texas, which had reported 57 confirmed cases.
Dawson County, to the east of Gaines, had six, Yoakum County had four and Lubbock, Lynn and Ector counties have a case each.
The measles vaccine (MMR) is 97 percent effective as preventing the virus and is required for children to attend school, but some states allow exemptions based on religious reasons.
Across the country, the percentage of children seeking exemptions has risen over the past decade, from 0.76 percent in 2014 to 3.3 percent during the 2023-2024 school year.
According to the CDC, in 2024 vaccination coverage among kindergartners declined for all shots – down to 93 percent for MMR.
Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Human and Health Services reports 91 percent of kids had received the MMR shot, which is below the ideal vaccination rate.
Ninety-four percent coverage is considered the standard for herd immunity.
Dr Lara Johnson, a pediatrician and chief medical officer at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, said she saw the first measles case in her community about a month ago.
Now, she’s warning this is just the ‘beginning of the outbreak, and ‘we’re going to see a lot more illness among unvaccinated kids over the next few months.’
Dr Johnson revealed most of the young patients are being hospitalized for breathing difficulties and are in need of supplemental oxygen, while others have very high fevers, which can be fatal in young children.
*this is a developing story*
