Texas measles outbreak grows
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The measles outbreak in West Texas has rapidly grown with 124 confirmed cases in nine counties since late January, according to state health officials.
Why it matters: Health departments in Central Texas are now warning about exposures of the highly-contagious disease, signaling the outbreak may be spreading statewide.
The big picture: Measles cases have been reported in eight states this year, but most are in Texas, per the CDC.
- Very few of the reported cases have occurred in people vaccinated against the disease.
The latest: Texas reported 34 more cases yesterday compared to the previous report on Friday.
- Eighteen measles patients have been hospitalized, per state health officials.
- Only five of the patients were known to be vaccinated. The rest were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown.
Yes, but: An increasing number of Texas parents are opting out of vaccinating their children for personal or religious reasons.
- In Tarrant County, 4.4% of kindergarteners have a vaccine exemption. In Dallas County, it's 2.6%.
- In Fort Worth ISD, 84% of kindergarten students were up-to-date on the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in the 2023-34 school year, down from 96% in the 2019-20 school year, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Stunning stat: In West Texas, 101 of the people with confirmed measles cases are 17 or younger.
Threat level: The latest outbreak is the largest in Texas in 30 years. The state had smaller outbreaks in 2019 and 2013.
- A Tarrant County megachurch was linked to the 2013 outbreak. A person who contracted the disease on a trip to Indonesia spread it to the vaccine-hesitant congregation.