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 just shy of 200 and killed one, more states are reporting their own cases, including a second measles-related death in New Mexico.
Measles infections have popped up in at least eight states since January, with the strongest concentration outside of Texas being just over the border in New Mexico.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is updating case numbers monthly, leaving the task of tracking and announcing the spread in the weeks between to individual state health departments.
The Texas Department of State Health Services, which updates its measles case numbers twice a week, announced Friday that confirmed infections were up to 198, mostly in children. All but five cases were in unvaccinated people or people with unknown vaccination status, and most (137) 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-three people have been hospitalized in Texas as of Friday and one unvaccinated, school-aged child died. An unvaccinated adult in New Mexico also died, the state reported this week.
In New Mexico, a total of 30 cases have been reported statewide including the death, the health department said on Friday, all in Lea County, which is just across from the Texas state line and Gaines County. Eleven of those infected were under the age of 18 while the other 15 were adults and four were not yet known.
Meanwhile, Georgia has held steady at three confirmed cases, along with California which also reported three. Rhode Island has reported one, while Alaska and New York City had two. New Jersey has reported three cases and Florida reported its first case earlier this week.
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.
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.”
Experts have likewise warned against JFK’s suggestion of using vitamin A for measles prevention, saying it is not based in science and vaccines are the only effective form of protection.
Contributing: Janet Loehrke, Eduardo Cuevas,
