The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting a measles outbreak in the South Plains region. Since late January, there have been 146 confirmed cases, with 20 patients requiring hospitalization. Terry County has not reported any new cases since the case numbers were released on Tuesday, February 25th, and currently has a total of 21 cases. Gaines County continues to rise in case numbers, now sitting at 98 confirmed cases.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is reporting an outbreak of measles in Lea County, which shares borders with Andrews County, Gaines County, and Yoakum County in Texas. Currently, there are nine confirmed cases of measles in Lea County, making it the only county in New Mexico affected by the outbreak. Due to the highly contagious nature of measles, additional cases are likely to arise in Lea County and nearby communities.
Tragically, there has been one fatality involving a school-aged child from the outbreak area who was not vaccinated. Given the highly contagious nature of this disease, more cases are expected to arise in the outbreak area and nearby communities. DSHS is collaborating with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.
Texas Case Count by County
| County | Cases |
|---|---|
| Dallam | 4 |
| Dawson | 8 |
| Ector | 2 |
| Gaines | 98 |
| Lubbock | 2 |
| Lynn | 2 |
| Martin | 3 |
| Terry | 21 |
| Yoakum | 6 |
| Total | 146 |
Age Ranges of Measles Cases
| 0-4 years | 5-17 years | 18+ years | Pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 70 | 25 | 5 |
Vaccination Status of Confirmed Cases
| Not Vaccinated | Unknown Status | Vaccinated with at least one dose |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | 62 | 5 |
- Vaccination status is classified as unknown when the case investigation is still ongoing or when the person does not know if they were ever vaccinated.
- The investigations into the cases who are currently classified as vaccinated are ongoing. A dose of MMR is given to unvaccinated people within 72 hours of their exposure to the measles to lessen the severity of the illness if they get sick from their exposure to the virus. We are looking into if any of these cases received their MMR dose after exposure.
The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.
