UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect increases in confirmed measles cases and the latest information from state and city health departments and Texas Tech University on March 23.
At least 309 confirmed cases of measles across eleven Texas counties have been reported since the West Texas outbreak was first identified, with 40 people hospitalized, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Most of the cases are in Gaines County, a rural county south of the Panhandle on the border with New Mexico, where the outbreak originated.
Texas Tech University announced in a memorandum March 18, that there were two exposure sites on campus:
- March 4-12 at the Carpenter/Wells Complex
- March 4-12 at the Student Health Services clinic
The university says that those who were identified as having a possible exposure will be contacted directly, but those who were in the locations at the time still may have experienced an exposure.
The morning of Feb. 26, health officials with the City of Lubbock and the Department of State Health Services confirmed the first death in connection with the outbreak. The patient was an unvaccinated school-aged child who was hospitalized in Lubbock the week prior.
A second death in connection to the measles outbreak was reported in Lea County, New Mexico on March 6. The cause of death has not been determined, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, but the deceased individual was found to have had measles.
Along with Lubbock County, there have been confirmed cases in Lynn County, Yoakum County, Dawson County, Ector County, Dallam County, Martin County, Cochran County, Lamar County, Hale County, Hockley County, Garza County, and almost 40 cases in Terry County.
The New Mexico Department of Health has confirmed 42 cases in the state, most of which are in Lea County, with two in Eddy County.
Many cases are among school-aged children. Most were unvaccinated against measles or had an unknown vaccination status. However, two of the patients are reported as vaccinated against measles.
Previous reports from the Texas Department of State Health Services listed five cases among vaccinated individuals. However, on March 14, the DHSH reclassified three of those cases after further investigation.
Two individuals cases received their vaccine doses after measles exposure, one or two days before symptoms began. The health department says the body takes about 14 days to develop immunity.
The third reclassified case, in Lubbock County, was determined not to be a measles case at all and was instead a vaccine reaction which mimicked measles symptoms. This case has been removed from the total cases count for the state.
On March 11, the Oklahoma State Department of Health confirmed two cases in the state, associated with the Texas and New Mexico outbreak.
According to Oklahoma’s health department, the individuals realized and reported an exposure, reported experiencing symptoms and isolated themselves, preventing the risk of transmission.
On March 4, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported four confirmed measles cases in the state not related to the West Texas outbreak, in Harris County, Rockwall County, and Travis County.
On Feb. 26, Lubbock Public Health confirmed two exposure sites in the city connected to the outbreak:
- Feb. 19, 5:30 P.M. at Walmart located at 4215 S. Loop 289
- Feb. 20, 5:30 P.M. at Target located at 7302 University Ave
On Friday, Feb. 7, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 10 cases on measles in Gaines County.
By Tuesday, Feb. 11, that number had grown to 24 confirmed measles cases. And by the following Friday, the department had confirmed 48 cases.
Dr. Ron Cook, a family physician and the chief health officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, said at a recent press conference regarding the outbreak that, on average, one in five measles patients are hospitalized. The most susceptible populations are children under one year old and people with compromised immune systems, including those who are pregnant.
The outbreak marks the first time the area has seen the disease in at least two decades.
According to Cook, the best way to avoid contracting measles is to get vaccinated.
“The reason we haven't seen measles in 21 years is because most people get their MMR, [or] measles, mumps and rubella vaccine,” he said. “But there are individuals who choose not to do that.”
Measles vaccines can be given to anyone over the age of one, and even people diagnosed with the disease can receive a vaccine within 72 hours to mitigate symptoms. Babies under six months can be given an antibody to boost their natural immune response.
Those who are concerned that they may have measles are advised to isolate at home and contact their health provider to schedule an appointment so precautions can be taken to minimize potential exposure to others.
Symptoms include coughing, a runny nose, high fever and red, watery eyes. It could also include a rash of tiny white spots (Koplik spots) inside the mouth two to three days after symptoms begin or a flat, red rash that appears on the face and hairline three to five days after symptoms begin. This rash tends to spread downward to the neck, torso, arms, legs and feet.
The South Plains Public Health District began screening for measles from the Seminole Memorial Hospital in Gaines County on Monday, Feb. 10.
Zach Holbrooks, executive director of the South Plains Public Health District, said when the cases were reported, the Health District quickly partnered with the University Medical Center in Lubbock to begin screenings.
The Gaines County outbreak comes shortly after a measles outbreak in Harris County in January – the first cases in Texas since 2023. Health officials said the cases in Southeast and West Texas don’t appear to be linked.
Holbrooks said that while the Harris County cases have not spread past two patients, Gaines County is still testing and expecting an increase.
Beyond protection on an individual level, Holbrooks described the MMR vaccine as a “strong tool” in preventing outbreaks of measles.
“Everybody has that choice. In Texas, there's no mandate that says you have to have it,” Holbrooks said. “But that's the risk: you get exposure in an unvaccinated population, you could have what you have now.”
Due to a high percentage of people receiving the MMR vaccine, the World Health Organization declared measles eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning there was no continuous spread in more than 12 months.
But there has since been an increase in cases, due in part to vaccine misinformation.
According to Texas Health and Human Services, “measles can easily be re-introduced into Texas in unvaccinated communities.” This occurred in 2013, when a person with measles entered a vaccine-hesitant community and within a few weeks, 20 additional people were infected, contributing to what was Texas’ highest case count in more than 20 years.
Nationally, 2019 saw the greatest number of cases reported since 1992, mostly affecting those who were not vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the 2019-2020 school year, the CDC reported 95.2% of U.S. kindergarteners had their MMR vaccine. By the 2023-2024 school year, that number was down to 92.7%, which left about 280,000 kindergartners vulnerable.
Lubbock Public Health urges high-risk unvaccinated individuals to consider getting vaccinated.
If you’re unsure of your vaccination status or have questions, contact your healthcare provider.
The South Plains Public Health District is offering free vaccines at it's Seminole clinic at 704 Hobbs Highway.
Lubbock Public Health is offering MMR vaccine clinics for children and adults who do not have the two recommended doses.
The audio from this story originally aired on Feb. 12 and reflects the data available at the time.
KTTZ's Brad Burt and Marfa Public Radio’s Travis Bubenik contributed to this report.
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