West Texas’s measles outbreak is approaching 200 cases reports state health officials

The West Texas measles outbreak is approaching 200 cases, according to a Friday morning update from the State Health Department.

Health officials have stated that 198 cases have been identified since the end of January. Twenty -three of these patients were hospitalized and a school -age, unvaccinated child died.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world and spreads especially among unvaccinated people. In three months Texas has already reported more Measles cases in 2025 than in any other year in 1992.

Of the 198 cases, 80 were in people who were not unvaccinated, and 113 were in people whose The state of vaccination He was not known, according to the State Health Department.

The outbreak started in Gaines County, near the border with New Mexico. In 137 cases, it is still at home for the vast majority of patients. Terry County follows at 29 years old.

Texas number does not include 30 cases of measles reported in New Mexico, which officials said they were probably connected to the Western Focular in Texas.

Although there is no evidence that the outbreak has spread to the northern Texas, doctors say they preach the same thing for each parent in question: Make sure you and your children are vaccinated.

“The most robust way to prevent measles is by vaccination,” said Dr. Carla Garcia Carreno, the medical director for the prevention and control of infections at the Medical Center for Children Plano. “It is a very effective vaccine and it is a very safe vaccine.”

The MMR vaccine in two doses is 97% effective in preventing the disease, which means that vaccinated people are unlikely to catch the virus. Health experts recommend administering the first dose to babies between 12 and 15 months, with the second dose administered when the child is 4 to 6 years old.

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