West Texas is grappling with the largest measles outbreak in three decades, as state health officials confirmed 124 cases of the highly contagious virus across nine counties since late January.
The outbreak, mainly centered in West Texas, as previously reported by The Dallas Express, could easily spread to other areas of the state and beyond. An outbreak reported in neighboring New Mexico is thought to be linked to the West Texas outbreak, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Reports that an infected person traveled from Gaines County in West Texas to San Antonio in Bexar County over the Valentine’s Day holiday, visiting numerous restaurants and public tourist attractions, raised alarm among health officials.
While no measles cases have yet been reported in Bexar County, health departments in Central Texas are on high alert, warning residents of the possible exposures to measles, which can spread rapidly through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases have been reported in several states this year, but Texas is currently bearing the brunt of the outbreak. Although the number of cases nationwide is relatively low, Texas accounts for the majority reported.
The main demographic affected by the outbreak is children, with minors aged 17 and younger accounting for 101 of the 124 confirmed cases. The highly contagious nature of the virus has led to over 18 hospitalizations, according to state health officials.
The situation is further complicated by the number of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. In Tarrant County, 4.4% of kindergarteners are exempt from vaccinations, Axios reported last fall. Dallas County has a slightly lower exemption rate of 2.6%, but the trend is growing throughout the area.
In Fort Worth ISD, the percentage of kindergarten students up-to-date on the MMR vaccine has decreased significantly over the past few years, dropping from 96% in the 2019-2020 school year to just 84% in the 2023-2024 school year, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
While smaller outbreaks in 2013 and 2019 sparked concern, they didn’t reach the same scale as quickly.
The 2013 outbreak, for instance, was traced back to a megachurch in Newark, Texas, where a traveler contracted the virus in Indonesia and spread it among 20 fellow congregants when he returned home.
For comparison, in 2024, there were 285 cases of measles reported nationwide, according to the CDC.
Before the measles vaccine became available in the 1960s, about 3 to 4 million cases of measles were reported each year in the U.S., mostly among children under age 15. The virus caused 400 to 500 deaths per year, per the CDC.