The number of cases in a measles outbreak centered in Gaines County, Texas, has jumped to 24, as health officials in New Mexico investigate a case—the state’s first of the year—in neighboring Lea County.
.jpg)
The Texas State Department of Health Services (TSDHS) said yesterday that the 24 patients, up from 6 reported on February 5, had symptom onsets within the last 2 weeks. All of the patients are unvaccinated and are residents of Gaines County. Sixteen of the patients are school-age children, and two are adults ages 18 and older.
Nine patients have been hospitalized, and health officials are bracing for more cases. “Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” the TSDHS said, adding that it is working with the South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health to investigate the outbreak.
New Mexico reports illness in unvaccinated teen
Meanwhile, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH) yesterday issued an alert about potential measles exposure at a hospital emergency department and school gymnasium in Lovington due to a confirmed infection in an unvaccinated Lea County teenager.
NMDH officials said Lea County borders Gaines County in Texas, however they added that the Lea County youth had no recent travel or exposure to any affected patients in the Texas outbreak.
The case marks New Mexico’s first measles case of 2025. The state recorded two cases in 2024, which were its first since 2021.
Miranda Durham, MD, chief medical officer for the NMDH, said in a statement that it’s important for people to get up-to-date with their vaccine doses. “Measles can spread easily, whether you're in Lea County or elsewhere in the state, if you're not current on the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine,” she said.