The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) announced today the first fatality in a growing measles outbreak in the western part of the state, in an unvaccinated, school-age child.
The patient was hospitalized in Lubbock. So far, the case count in Texas remains at 124, with most cases identified in children. Eighteen patients have been hospitalized..
“Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia,” the TDSHS said. “Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death.”
Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death.
Measles was eliminated from the United States 25 years ago, but dropping vaccination rates due to anti-vaccine advocacy groups erroneously linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, has left some communities vulnerable to outbreaks.
Outbreaks occurring in unvaccinated kids
The outbreaks in rural counties of West Texas are largely occurring among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated members of a Mennonite community, a TDSHS spokesperson told the Associated Press. TDSDH said the current outbreak is the largest in the state in 30 years.
In 2019, there were 1,274 measles cases reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Numbers dropped during the first 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but rose last year to 285 cases.
During the 2019-2020 school year, 95.2% of eligible kindergarten students in the US were vaccinated against measles, according to the CDC. That percentage has dropped to 92.7% in the 2023–2024 school year, leaving approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk during the 2023–2024 school year.
Measles is highly contagious. About 90% of unvaccinated people will contract the virus if exposed. Currently the CDC recommends children receive one dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years. Two doses will prevent 97% of measles cases.
