West Texas measles outbreak climbs to 58, with four saying they were vaccinated – The Texas Tribune
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An outbreak of measles in West Texas has grown to 58 cases, including four patients who said they were vaccinated against the disease.
Ten more cases were added to the Department of State Health Services’ count Tuesday, including for the first time the four who self-reported they were vaccinated against the disease, according to the agency’s latest update. A spokesperson with DSHS said health investigators are in the process of confirming whether the four were, in fact, vaccinated against measles and how many doses they may have received.
DSHS initially warned of two cases of measles in underage children in Gaines County in late January. The disease has since spread to four other counties and 58 people — most of whom are children — but 45 of the cases are still in Gaines County. Lubbock County, which reported a single case, is the largest county in which a case was reported.
Thirteen patients have been hospitalized, according to DSHS, and spokesperson Lara Anton said officials are still unsure what the initial source of exposure was. The outbreak is Texas’ largest in more than 30 years, and comes at a time where vaccination rates among children have dropped. Almost 97% of Texas kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles in 2019, compared to 94.3% in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.