The measles outbreak in Texas has surpassed 200 reported cases and continues to spread, with new infections emerging in California, New York, and Maryland, while Oklahoma investigates two possible cases. In response to the rapid spread of this highly contagious disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued warnings, urging healthcare professionals and travelers to remain vigilant as the spring and summer travel seasons approach, as first reported by The Washington Post.
Health officials in Los Angeles County, California, confirmed a case of a resident who may have been exposed aboard a China Airlines flight that landed at LAX on March 5. In New York, Suffolk County reported its first measles case of the year in a child under five. Maryland also confirmed a case in Howard County, linked to recent international travel. Additionally, Oklahoma health officials are monitoring two individuals with suspected measles symptoms after possible exposure in Texas and New Mexico.
Texas has been hit the hardest, with 223 cases reported since January, mostly in the South Plains region. Alarmingly, 218 of these cases involve individuals who were either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. New Mexico has reported 33 cases, mostly in areas bordering Texas. Tragically, two measles-related deaths have occurred this year—one in Texas and one in New Mexico.
In Gaines County, West Texas, two dozen unvaccinated residents have contracted measles in the past two weeks, with nine requiring hospitalization. The county, home to 21,000 residents near the New Mexico border, has one of the state’s highest vaccine exemption rates—nearly 14% of schoolchildren have opted out of at least one required vaccine, five times the state average. Due to the contagious nature of measles, further cases are expected in the region.
Although the U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000, periodic outbreaks continue to occur in under-vaccinated communities. With vaccination rates declining since the pandemic, health officials warn that even a small drop in immunization coverage significantly raises the risk of outbreaks. The CDC reports that 94% of cases this year have involved individuals who were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, up to 4 million Americans contracted the disease annually. Today, fewer than 200 cases typically occur in the U.S., but declining vaccination rates threaten to reverse that progress. Health officials continue urging people to get vaccinated, as measles spreads easily through the air and on surfaces—often before symptoms appear.
