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3mo ago

Texas and New Mexico Face Largest Measles Outbreak in Decades

Nearly 100 cases have been reported, with low vaccination rates and federal leadership under scrutiny.

A sign is seen outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas.
This Electron Micrograph Reveals Both A Paramyxovirus Measles Virus, And Virions Of The Polyomavirus, Simian Virus Sv40 Smaller Circles. The Envelope Of The Measles Virus Has Broken, Exposing The Nucleocapsid Filaments. Interest In Sv40 Has Increased In The Last Several Years Because The Virus Was Found In Certain Forms Of Cancer In Humans, For Instance Mesotheliomas Rare Tumors Located In The Lungs, Brain, And Bone Tumors Carbone Et Al. , 1994; Jasani Et Al. , 2001. (Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

Overview

  • The measles outbreak in rural West Texas and eastern New Mexico has infected at least 99 people, marking the largest outbreak in Texas in nearly 30 years.
  • Low vaccination rates in affected areas, including a Texas county where less than 50% of schoolchildren are vaccinated, have facilitated the virus's rapid spread.
  • Health officials in both states have launched public education campaigns and set up mobile vaccination and testing clinics to curb further infections.
  • Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, can cause severe complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and death, particularly in unvaccinated children.
  • The outbreak presents a critical test for newly appointed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, as federal involvement remains limited so far.