Texas Reports First Measles Cases in Two Years as Vaccination Rates Decline

Four unvaccinated individuals, including two school-aged children, have been diagnosed with measles, highlighting concerns over falling immunization rates in Texas.

• The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed four measles cases, two in Harris County adults and two in Gaines County school-aged children, marking the state's first cases since 2023.
• Both children, who were unvaccinated, were hospitalized in Lubbock but have since been discharged; no known public exposure sites have been identified outside healthcare facilities.
• Measles, a highly contagious airborne disease, can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and death, especially in unvaccinated populations, according to the CDC.
• Vaccination rates in Texas have dropped from 97% in 2019 to 94.3% in 2023 among kindergarteners, part of a nationwide trend of declining immunization rates since the pandemic.
• Health officials emphasize the importance of the MMR vaccine, which is 97% effective with two doses, as the best defense against measles and other preventable diseases.

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