In rural west Texas, measles outbreak has increased to 90 cases in seven counties, the state health department has posted online on Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized.
In the neighboring Eastern New Mexico, the Khasra case counts up to nine, although the state’s public health officials said there is still no evidence on Thursday that the outbreak is associated with one in Texas.
Measles is a highly infectious disease. Here you should know how to protect yourself from measles, as well as what is happening in Texas and New Mexico.
The cases of West Texas are concentrated in the Gains County, with 57 infections, and in the north of Terry County, Ganes, where there are now 20 confirmed cases.
Dawson County, east of Gains, was new to count with six. Joqam County has four cases and each case in Lubock, Lynn and Actor Counties.
Data from the Texas State Health Department suggests that most cases are in people under 18: 26, who are in children under 5–17 years of age. Ten adults have measles and three cases are “pending” a age determination. Actor County Health Department reported that Odessa America was very small for vaccinating in a child.
State health officials have said that this outbreak is the largest in Texas in about 30 years. Health Department spokesperson Lara Anton said last week that cases have been focused in the “Close-Bana, underwasinated” Menonite community-especially in families who participate in small private religious schools or are homescools.
In New Mexico, all cases are in Lee County, which have limitations of Gains County in Texas. The State Health Department has said that people may be exposed to a grocery store, a primary school, a church, nor a vallgresser in Hobbes, New Mexico.
A respiratory virus is shaken that can survive in the air for two hours. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 out of 10 people will get virus if they are susceptible.
Most children will overcome measles if they obtain it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain inflammation, and death.
Yes, measles, goggle and rubella vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing measles infection and severe cases of disease.
The first shot is recommended for children between 12 to 15 months and the second for children between 4 and 6 years. Nationwide public schools require a vaccine chain for children before entering kindergarten.
Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the US saw a few 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, it is usually less than 200 in a normal year.
Despite now-deprived studies and health disintegration, there is no connection between the vaccine and autism.
In communities with high vaccination rates – above 95% – diseases like measles have difficult times in spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity”.
But the rate of childhood vaccination has declined across the country as epidemic and more parents are claiming discounts of religious or personal conscience to free their children from the necessary shots.
The US saw an increase in measles cases in 2024, including a outbreak in Chicago that had become more than 60 ill. Five years ago, measles cases were the worst in about three decades in 2019.
The school-ore class children in Gains County are one of the highest rates in Texas, which exit at least one essential vaccine with about 14% K-12 children in 2023–24 school year. Health officials say the number is likely to be more because it does not include many children who have been homes schools and whose data will not be reported.
Health workers are hosting regular immunization clinics and screening efforts in Texas, as well as working with schools to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offer of shots.
New Mexico health officials are also hosting several vaccination clinics in Hobbes next week.
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