In escalating developments in a measles outbreak centered in west Texas, the state's health department today said multiple health departments in the central and west-central parts of the state are investigating exposures, including at two universities.
The outbreak in Texas, combined with cases in a neighboring New Mexico county, have boosted the outbreak to 99 cases, with more suspected.
Outbreak total approaches 100 cases
On February 21, the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) reported 32 more measles cases in the South Plains region, boosting the state's total to 90 cases. Most are in Gaines County, where the outbreak is centered in the Mennonite community.
The latest update included the first confirmation from Ector and Yoakum counties, pushing the number of affected counties to seven. The TDSHS said 16 patients have been hospitalized. Five patients were vaccinated against measles, and the others were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.
The following day, the Dallam-Hartley Counties Hospital District in Texas said a small number of measles cases have been confirmed within the community. In a statement, Melissa Bundy, the district's chief executive officer, said, "While this news is concerning, it is important to note that our counties have a very high vaccination rate and that the MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] vaccine is 97% effective in preventing the disease with two doses given, and 93% effective with one dose given."
Meanwhile, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) confirmed six more measles cases in Lea County, which borders Gaines County, raising the total to nine. Officials have said a link to the outbreak in Texas is suspected but hasn't been confirmed. Four of the Lea County cases are in children ages 5 to 17 years old, and five are in adults.
"Because measles is so contagious, additional cases are likely to occur in Lea County and the surrounding communities," the NMDH said.
Exposures at 2 Texas universities
In its update today, the TDSHS said a person from the outbreak area who was later diagnosed as having measles visited locations in San Marcos and San Antonio the weekend of February 14 to February 16 while he or she was contagious.
San Antonio health officials said the patient is from Gaines County.
The exposure sites include two universities, Texas State University in San Marcos and University of Texas at San Antonio. The patient visited tourist attractions near the River Walk area of San Antonio, a local restaurant, and a large travel plaza in New Braunfels.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a February 21 weekly update that it has received reports of 93 cases so far this year from eight jurisdictions. The agency noted that 23 patients were hospitalized for isolation or management of measles complications. The vast majority of cases (86) are part of three outbreaks.
Of the patients, 95% were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Roughly half are school-age children or teens. Twenty-eight of the cases (30%) are in kids younger than 5 years old.
