PUBLIC HEALTHSecond Death Reported as Measles Cases Climb in Texas, New Mexico
Health officials in New Mexico said yesterday that an unvaccinated adult who recently died tested positive for measles.
Health officials in New Mexico said yesterday that an unvaccinated adult who recently died tested positive for measles.
Although the cause of death is still under investigation, officials with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said their lab had confirmed the presence of the measles virus in the Lea County resident, who did not seek medical treatment before passing.
The case is part of New Mexico’s growing measles outbreak, which is now up to 30 cases, NMDOH officials reported today. All the cases have been in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas—the center of that state’s ongoing measles outbreak.
NMDOH officials urged residents to get vaccinated to ensure protection against the highly contagious virus.
“We don’t want to see New Mexicans getting sick or dying from measles,” Chad Smelser, MD, NMDOH deputy state epidemiologist, said in a press release. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best protection against this serious disease.”
Texas Outbreak Up to 198 Cases
Meanwhile, the measles outbreak in west Texas, which began in late January, continues to grow. Officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said today in an update that the nine-county outbreak is now at 198 cases, with 137 in Gaines County.
Twenty-three of the case-patients have been hospitalized, with one death reported in an unvaccinated school-age child. It was the first US measles death since 2015.
Of the cases, 80 are unvaccinated and 113 have unknown vaccination status, and 153 have been in children under 18 years. Gaines County has one of the highest rates of school-aged children in Texas who have opted out of at least one vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this week that its investigators were partnering with the DSHS to respond to the measles outbreak. A CDC update today puts reported US measles cases for the year at 222 as of March 6, with three outbreaks (defined as 3 cases or more). A total of 285 US measles cases were reported in all of 2024.
This year’s cases have occurred in 12 states, and 94% have been in people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.
