A measles outbreak centered in western Texas has grown to 400 infections, as US cases approach 500, putting the nation on track for its worst year since 2019, when outbreaks struck unvaccinated close-knit communities.
Texas and New Mexico report more cases
In an update today, the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 73 more cases, with one more patient hospitalized. Given the highly contagious nature of the virus, the TDSHS said it expects more cases to be reported in affected and surrounding areas.
Cases have been reported from 17 Texas counties, mostly from Gaines County and surrounding counties in the western part of the state. However, 10 cases have been reported from Lamar County in eastern Texas on the Oklahoma border.
Only 2 of Texas’ 400 patients were known to have received two recommended measles vaccine doses, and the rest had unknown status or were unvaccinated.
In a related development, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) today reported 1 more case in its outbreak, which is linked to the Texas outbreak, raising the state’s total to 44 cases. New Mexico’s cases are from Lea and Eddy counties.
Of New Mexico’s patients, 4 had at least one measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine dose, 32 were unvaccinated, and 8 had an unknown vaccination status.
Two earlier deaths were reported in measles patients from the two states.
New Jersey issues exposure alert
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today issued an alert about potential exposures related to two unrelated confirmed measles cases in people who aren’t residents of the state.
Its warning detailed two locations, one an Amtrack Northeast Regional Train that traveled from New York’s Penn Station to Washington, DC, on March 19 and the other Capital Health Medical Center in Pennington, NJ, on March 22.
“NJDOH is working in collaboration with local health officials on ongoing contact tracing and efforts to notify people who might have been exposed and to identify additional exposures that may have occurred,” the group said.
US total nears 500 cases
In its weekly update today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 105 more cases, pushing the national total to 483. Two more jurisdictions have reported cases, bringing that total to 20.
Two more outbreaks are reflected in the total, putting the total at five. Of the 483 cases, 93% (447) are part of outbreaks. Earlier this week, Kansas and Ohio added cases to their outbreak totals, and Oklahoma has reported nine cases, 7 confirmed and 2 probable, in an outbreak linked to the Texas outbreak.
Several states have also reported imported cases among international travelers, part of a global rise in measles activity.
Of people infected in the United States, 97% were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
Cases this year are tracking well above the 285 cases reported for all of 2024 and are at the highest level since 2019 when 1,249 cases were reported. Most of those cases were reported in underimmunized, close-knit communities, including two outbreaks in New York’s Orthodox Jewish communities.
The surge in cases that year, the highest since 1992, threatened the United States’ measles elimination status.
