The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) yesterday said it is investigating a measles outbreak at a correctional facility in Deming, after five detainees tested positive for the virus, as federal officials confirm 13 more cases.
The announcement comes a week after the NMDOH reported that measles had been detected in a wastewater sample collected in June 10 in Deming, hinting that at least one infectious person was undiagnosed. Officials, who have been monitoring wastewater for measles since March, warned that cases in Luna County may be found in the coming days. Luna County is in the southwestern corner of the state.
The 5 new infections push the state's total to 86 cases in eight counties.
Some of New Mexico's measles cases have been linked to a large outbreak in West Texas, which began in January and for the past several weeks has been trending downward. Chad Smelser, MD, medical epidemiologist with the NMDOH, said in a statement, "The cases at Luna County Detention Center are a stark reminder that the measles outbreak in New Mexico is not over."
Health officials are sending personal protective equipment, test kits, and measles vaccine to the prison, which houses 400 inmates and employs 100 staff. Authorities are also checking the vaccination status of the facility's residents and staff.
Cases in Utah, Kentucky
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services yesterday reported two more cases in its outbreak, raising its total to five. The patients include a minor and an adult, and both are state residents, are unvaccinated, and have links to earlier cases. One is a Utah County resident, and the other lives in the southwest health district.
Elsewhere, Kentucky's Todd County announced a measles infection in an adult who had recently traveled internationally.
US total climbs to 1,227
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now updating its measles totals on Wednesdays, and on June 25 it reported 13 more cases, putting the national total at 1,227 in 37 states. The nation's cases are just 48 cases shy of passing the record number of cases reported in the 2019 surge, which was the most since measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000.
The number of outbreaks remained at 23, and 89% of the confirmed cases are linked to outbreaks. Of the confirmed case-patients this year, 95% were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. So far, 148 people have been hospitalized, and the number of deaths remains at 3.
