According to the latest update from the Texas Department of State Health Services, 279 measles cases have been reported in the state. In New Mexico, 38 cases have been confirmed as of Tuesday, totaling 317 cases across both states.
In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 285 cases nationally.
The cases have primarily occurred in Gaines County, Texas, and Lea County, N.M., which sit opposite each other on the Texas-New Mexico border. Of the cases in Texas, 36 have resulted in hospitalizations, while two people have been hospitalized in New Mexico.
There have been two deaths, one in each state, related to the current measles outbreak, and both occurred in patients who were unvaccinated. The death in Texas was directly attributed to measles, while the cause of death for the New Mexican individual, who tested positive for the virus, is still being investigated.
The numbers coming out of Texas have fluctuated as more information is gathered, with there apparently being fewer breakthrough measles cases than initially believed.
Texas health authorities found that after further investigation, three cases previously considered vaccinated were not. Two of the individuals had received a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine dose just one to two days before symptoms began, while the third case appeared to have been a reaction to the vaccine and was not a true infection.
It takes 14 days after vaccination for the body to develop an immunity to measles, and it is only at that point at which someone is considered fully vaccinated.
