The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 10 more measles cases in an outbreak centered in a pocket of western rural counties, raising the outbreak total to 58 since early February.
Three more infections were confirmed in Gaines County, which has been the epicenter and now has 45 cases. Six more measles cases were reported in neighboring Terry County. And Lubbock County has its first case. Cases have now been detected in five Texas counties, all in the same region in west-central Texas near the border with New Mexico.
The number of patients hospitalized remained at 13. Four patients were vaccinated, and the remaining patients were unvaccinated or their status is unknown. Roughly half of the cases involve school-age children.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” the TDSHS said.
Probe continues in neighboring New Mexico county
Earlier this week, the New Mexico Department of Health declared a measles outbreak in Lea County, which borders Gaines County. Officials said ties to the Texas outbreak are suspected but haven’t been confirmed.
Health department in other states are closely monitoring developments in Texas and have urged parents to ensure that their children are up to date with measles vaccine doses. In a press release today, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) warned of an uptick in cases in several states, including Texas and Georgia, and noted how contagious the virus is: Infected people can spread measles for as long as 3 weeks.
Karen Landers, MD, ADPH chief medical officer, said, “One of the main messages we want to emphasize is that measles follows a pattern in which the child first develops fever, cough, runny nose, and watery/red eyes, then a rash develops. Persons can start spreading the virus up to four days before symptoms appear, and those with weak immune systems can spread the measles virus longer.”
