At least one dead as dozens infected in multi-state measles outbreak
A measles outbreak has infected dozens in multiple states, with at least one reported child death in Texas.
As Texas continues to contend with a growing measles outbreak that has sickened 159 and killed one, other states are reporting cases of the highly contagious disease.
Cases have likewise spread to multiple other states, with the strongest concentration outside of Texas being just over the border in New Mexico.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is only updating case numbers monthly, meaning the task of tracking and announcing the spread has fallen to individual states in the weeks between.
The Texas Department of State Health Services, which updates its measles cases on Tuesdays and Fridays, announced Tuesday that confirmed infections were up to 159, mostly in children. All but five cases were in unvaccinated people or people with unknown vaccination status, and most (107) occurred in far West Texas in Gaines County, which had a 13.6% rate of non-medical vaccine exemptions in K-12 students, according to 2023-2024 state data.
Twenty-two people have been hospitalized as of Tuesday and one, an unvaccinated child, has died.
In New Mexico, the number has held steady at nine, according to the New Mexico Department of Health on Tuesday, all in Lea County, which is just across from the Texas state line and Gaines County. Four of those infected were under the age of 18 and unvaccinated, while the other five were adults, also unvaccinated or unknown vaccination status.
Meanwhile, Georgia officials confirmed to Tuesday that the state still had three confirmed cases. The Rhode Island health department said the state had one case, while Alaska confirmed it had two. On Monday, New Jersey confirmed that it had three cases and New York City reported two.
See map of states with measles cases
What is measles and how do you get it?
Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily, and most severely, affects children. According to the World Health Organization, it infects the respiratory tract before spreading throughout the body.
The virus is one of the most contagious infectious diseases to exist; so contagious, in fact, that 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up contracting it. Additionally, one in five of those people end up hospitalized, according to the CDC.
Measles is spread through contact with infected nasal or throat secretions, according to the WHO. It is airborne and most commonly spread through actions like coughing, sneezing or breathing. The measles virus can remain contagious in the air or on contaminated surfaces for up to two hours.
What are the symptoms of measles?
According to the CDC, measles symptoms appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. Measles rash appears three to five days after the onset of the first symptoms.
Other signs and symptoms of measles include:
- When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose and sneezing
- Red, watery eyes
- Loss of appetite, diarrhea
- Reddish-brown rash that can spread across the entire body
- Koplik spots, tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth two to three days after symptoms begin
- Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots (the spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body)
RFK Jr. urges parents to consider measles vaccine
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, asked parents to consider measles vaccinations for their children but did not outright suggest them.
Referring to the deadly outbreak as a “call to action,” Kennedy wrote in an opinion piece published Sunday on Fox News Digital that parents should consult with physicians about the MMR vaccine, which also covers mumps and rubella.
Despite RFK Jr. saying he isn’t anti-vaccine during confirmation hearings, he has in the past falsely linked vaccines to autism and urged parents to not vaccinate their children. Though the current outbreak resulted in the first measles death in a decade, RFK initially called the surge in cases “not unusual.”
“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” Kennedy wrote. “Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
Contributing: Janet Loehrke, Eduardo Cuevas, Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
