Health officials in Texas announced on Monday that the measles outbreak that started in western Texas earlier this year has officially ended after over 700 confirmed cases.
As of August 18, the Texas Department of Health Services (DSHS) reported 762 confirmed cases of measles since January, primarily affecting children, most of whom were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.
Tragically, two deaths were recorded, including that of an unvaccinated school-age child from the outbreak area; this marks the first measles-related death in the U.S. in over ten years.
“The Texas Department of Health has confirmed that this year’s measles outbreak in West Texas has concluded. It has been more than 42 days since new cases were documented in any of the previously affected counties,” stated DSHS.
The outbreak was linked to Mennonite communities in the South Plains region of Texas, which show low vaccination rates. In Gaines County, a location with many initial cases, nearly half of all students had received vaccinations.
“I want to emphasize the relentless efforts of public health professionals across the state who played a crucial role in controlling one of the most contagious viruses. This progress comes after a thorough response that involved educating the public about measles through various awareness initiatives.”
Measles is known for being extremely infectious. An infected person can transmit the virus to nine out of ten people they come into contact with if those individuals are not vaccinated. While there are no specific antiviral treatments for measles, receiving the complete two-dose series of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing the illness.
This outbreak served as an early challenge for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who has had mixed views on the MMR vaccine. Despite his criticisms, Kennedy acknowledged the effectiveness of the measles vaccine during this outbreak, noting that it “not only protects individual children from measles but also bolsters community immunity.”
