A growing measles outbreak in Texas has alarmed health officials as the number of confirmed cases doubled within days.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the outbreak surged from 24 cases on Tuesday to 48 cases by Friday, marking the state’s largest measles outbreak in more than three decades.
The outbreak’s epicenter is Gaines County, where 42 cases have been reported. Health officials confirmed that all affected individuals were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. As of now, 13 people have been hospitalized due to complications from the disease.
Neighboring states are also reporting new cases. The New Mexico Department of Health recently confirmed three unrelated cases in Lea County, which borders Gaines County. While a connection to the Texas outbreak is suspected, it remains unverified.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 14 measles cases in five states so far in 2024, excluding the recent outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Experts warn that the situation could escalate if vaccination rates continue to decline.
Dr. Alok Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford Children’s Health, emphasized the potential severity of the outbreak.
“What we’re seeing right now is a crack in the foundation of a building, and we do not want this building to collapse,” Patel told ABC News. “A small measles outbreak could be the start of a public health catastrophe that is completely preventable.”
The rise in measles cases correlates with a decline in vaccination rates. In Gaines County, vaccine exemption rates among kindergarteners have more than doubled over the past decade, rising from 7.5% in 2013 to over 17.5% in 2023. Nationally, the CDC reported that only 93% of kindergarteners met school vaccination requirements during the 2022-23 academic year, while vaccine exemptions reached a record 3%.
Health professionals attribute the increase in measles cases to growing vaccine hesitancy fueled by misinformation. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, expressed concerns over the declining trust in vaccines. “People have seemed to forget how dangerous these illnesses are because of how well vaccines work,” he said.
Measles remains one of the most contagious diseases, capable of spreading to nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals exposed to an infected person. The CDC strongly recommends two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is 97% effective at preventing measles.
With cases expected to rise, public health officials are urging communities to stay vigilant and ensure immunizations are up to date. While fully vaccinated individuals face minimal risk, experts warn that continued vaccine hesitancy could lead to even larger outbreaks nationwide.
Keep up with health updates with us on Que Onda Magazine.
