27% of the cases so far have been hospitalized:
Updated 7:24 PM EST, Fri February 14, 2025
(CNN) — The measles outbreak first reported in Gaines County, Texas, has doubled to 48 cases since a count released earlier this week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Friday. The first two cases were identified in late January, and the numbers have been rising since.
Forty-two cases are reported in Gaines County. Surrounding counties have also reported cases, three in Terry County, two in Yoakum County and one in Lynn County. With the contagious nature of the disease, the state health department says it expects that more cases will be reported in Gaines County and the surrounding areas.
All of the cases are in unvaccinated people or those who have unknown vaccination status. Most cases are in children 5 to 17 years old. All experienced an onset of symptoms in the past three weeks.
Among the 48 cases, 13 have been hospitalized.
Two measles cases were also reported in bordering Lea County, New Mexico, on Friday, bringing the total there this week to three. The first case involved an unvaccinated teenager, and the vaccination status in the other cases is unknown.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne illness that can cause rash, fever, red eyes and cough. Severe cases can result in blindness, pneumonia or encephalitis, swelling of the brain. In some cases, the illness can be fatal.
Coverage of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is particularly low in Gaines County, where nearly 1 in 5 incoming kindergartners in the 2023-24 school year did not get the vaccine. The 18% vaccine exemption rate for the county is one of the highest in the state, according to data from the Texas health department.
The Texas health department is working with two local health departments — the South Plains Public Health District and Lubbock Public Health — to investigate the outbreak.
