The outbreak of ferocious measles in western Texas has previously killed one child, but has not been alleviated in New Mexico and may have taken root, state health officials reported Friday.
The outbreak has been sickened by about 200 more cases than reported Tuesday, leaving 23 hospitalizations in western Texas. Local health officials say even those numbers may be short.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services, faces criticism for handling the worsening outbreak. A prominent vaccine skeptic, Kennedy provided calm support for vaccinations, highlighting untested treatments for measles, such as cod liver oil.
The outbreak has largely spread within the Mennonite community in Gaines County, Texas, with historically low vaccination rates and often avoiding interaction with the health care system.
Last year, about 82% of the county's kindergarten population had received the measles vaccine. Experts say vaccination rates should reach at least 95% to stop the community's pandemic.
In a news release Friday, Texas health officials wrote that more cases are “highly likely” due to the virus's contagious nature.
NM's Lee County health officials (which border Gaines County) reported 30 measles cases on Friday, a major jump from nine cases reported on Tuesday.
The New Mexico incident has not formally linked to the Texas outbreak, but authorities said Link was “suspected.”
On Thursday, state officials said an unvaccinated person who died in Lee County tested positive for the virus, but have yet to confirm that measles is the cause of death.
NEW MEXICO – Most of these cases along the Texas border involve people who have not been vaccinated or have unknown vaccine conditions. Two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines prevent more than 97% of measles infections.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 93% of kindergarten students across the country received vaccines from 2023-24 and 95% before the pandemic for measles, mumps and rubella.
Symptoms usually resolve within a few weeks, but in rare cases, measles is extremely dangerous. It can cause pneumonia and can make it difficult for patients, especially children, to obtain oxygen in their lungs.
Infection can also lead to swelling of the brain, which can cause permanent damage, such as blindness, hearing loss, and intellectual disability. According to the CDC, for every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die.
The virus also causes “immune amnesia,” which prevents the body from protecting itself from diseases it is already exposed to, making patients more susceptible to future infections.
A 2015 study found that measles could have been responsible for up to half of all infectious disease deaths in children before the MMR vaccine became widely available.
