Measles Outbreak Expands to Over 320 Cases

On Tuesday, Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) provided updated numbers of its ongoing outbreak of measles predominately in West Texas, which has expanded to 11 counties. As of March 18, DSHS confirmed at least 279 cases have been identified in the Texas outbreak since late January with 36 patients requiring hospitalization. One unvaccinated school-aged child with no underlying conditions died on Feb. 26 in Texas.

Last week, the outbreak also spread to the northeast part of the state, and as of March 15 the Paris-Lamar County Health District has confirmed seven cases in unvaccinated residents. 

Still, Gaines County accounted for 17 of the 20 new cases reported Tuesday, and all were in unvaccinated individuals. The West Texas county has been the center of the outbreak, and cases have reached 191 in the county, which also had the third highest vaccine exemption rate in Texas last year, as CMM previously reported. Most cases are in children under the age of 18, and all but a couple cases are in the unvaccinated.

Texas also has confirmed cases in Rockwall, Travis, and Harris counties tied to international travel.

Additionally, on Tuesday, the  New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) reported the state’s case count for measles has risen to 38. While most cases remain in Lea County, the outbreak spread to Eddy County, which reported two cases last week. NMDOH recorded the death of one unvaccinated Lea County resident on March 6, the second in the outbreak.

On March 14, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) also confirmed two additional measles cases, bringing the state’s case count to four. OSDH learned the new infected individuals were in public settings while contagious, creating a potential risk to the public.

All the Oklahoma cases also conveyed exposures associated with the Texas and New Mexico outbreak. As CMM previously reported, NMDOH now considers the state’s outbreak to be connected to the one in West Texas as the measles strain is linked genetically, and Lea County neighbors Gaines County. 

On March 13, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Stevens County Health Department have reported a positive case of measles in a resident of Stevens County, which boarders Oklahoma. It is currently unknown whether this case is linked to any ongoing measles outbreaks. The incident marks the first measles case in Kansas since 2018.

Last week, nearby state Colorado’s health department sent text messages and email notifications to families of nearly 63,000 children aged 4-6 years whose records in the Colorado Immunization Information System show their child/children may be overdue for a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against measles, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As CMM reported on Monday, so far this year, the CDC has confirmed at least 301 measles cases in the United States, which rises above last year’s total of 285 measles cases. (CDC is aware of probable measles cases still being reported, and the case count is higher.)