Measles outbreak in Texas balloons to 90 cases [View all]
In a rapidly growing measles outbreak in northwest Texas, 90 cases have been confirmed as of Friday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The outbreak, which began in late January, has ballooned this week, with 32 new cases reported since Tuesday. Sixteen patients have been hospitalized.
The virus is spreading primarily among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccine status is unknown, the health department said. Only five cases have been among vaccinated people.
“We have a high, high number of unvaccinated,” Tonya Guffey, the chief nursing officer at Seminole District Hospital in Gaines County, told NBC News last week. “It’s not that they’re not educated. It’s just what their belief is.”
The bulk of cases have been recorded in Gaines and Terry Counties, which are along Texas' northwest border and about five hours from Albuquerque, New Mexico. As of the 2023-24 school year, Gaines County had one of Texas' highest vaccine exemption rates: nearly 18%.
Most of the illnesses have been in children and teens — 26 measles cases have been recorded among kids under 4, with 51 cases among those ages 5 to 17.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-outbreak-texas-cases-grow-rcna193196
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