As Texas measles outbreak grows, parents are choosing to vaccinate kids
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As Texas measles outbreak grows, parents are choosing to vaccinate kids
As the measles outbreak in Texas keeps spreading, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the serious illness.
“People are more and more nervous” as they watch the highly contagious virus spread in their communities, mostly among children, said Katherine Wells, director of public health for Lubbock’s health department. “We’ve vaccinated multiple kids that have never been vaccinated before, some from families that didn’t believe in vaccines.”
About half of the approximately 100 doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) given at the health department last week were to kids who were unvaccinated, Wells said.
On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported that 124 cases of measles have been confirmed since late January, mostly in counties in West Texas, near the New Mexico border. So far, 18 patients have been hospitalized, often because they were having trouble breathing.
Of the 124 cases identified, 101 are babies, school-age kids or teenagers.
Nearly all were either unvaccinated or hadn’t received their second MMR shot, which is usually given around age 5. That dose, plus one given around a child’s first birthday, are 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While that level of protection is extremely high, it’s not 100%. Five of the 124 people with measles in Texas said they’d had at least one dose of the MMR shot.
Measles is considered one of the most contagious viruses in the world. It’s spread through tiny respiratory particles that can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person was there.
That’s why a mobile health care unit offering measles testing and vaccines for people who are not sick enough to be hospitalized has set up shop in emergency department parking lots in Lubbock and surrounding areas.
“We’re using the bus to keep them out of the hospital because measles is so contagious and airborne,” Chad Curry, training chief for the University Medical Center EMS, who is overseeing the mobile unit’s operations during the outbreak, said in an interview Tuesday. “We’re trying to lessen the blow.”
Starting Wednesday, Curry’s crew will offer immunoglobulin shots or infusions to people who’ve had a confirmed measles exposure and who may be at risk for complications.
Immunoglobulin, or IG, is an antibody that helps the immune system fight off infections. It can be given up to six days after a person was exposed to measles.
The fast-moving outbreak is certain to expand, health authorities said.
On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services alerted the public that a person infected with measles had traveled outside of the outbreak area to other parts of the state.
The person visited the University of Texas at San Antonio campus and a variety of restaurants and convenience stores like Buc-ee’s in other areas near the city.
Measles symptoms in the outbreak have been “textbook,” Wells said. Patients have had fevers up to 104 degrees, coughing, runny nose and red, irritated eyes. After that, they develop a rash that starts near the scalp and spreads down the body.
Symptoms may not appear until two weeks after a person is exposed.
It’s up to health officials now to do what’s called contact tracing. That means painstakingly tracking down anyone who was in those public spaces at the same time — or several hours afterward — to tell them about the exposure and give guidance on what they should do.
That’s on top of the ongoing investigations in the outbreak’s epicenter.
“My biggest concern right now is the manpower needed to do all of the contact tracing,” said Dr. Ronald Cook, chief health officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock and health authority for the city.
“We’re managing right now, but if this grows any bigger, we’re going to need some more help.”
Erika Edwards is a health and medical news writer and reporter for NBC News and “TODAY.”
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
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Texas measles outbreak grows
The measles outbreak in West Texas has rapidly grown with 124 confirmed cases in nine counties since late January, according to state health officials.
Why it matters: Health departments in Central Texas are now warning about exposures of the highly-contagious disease, signaling the outbreak may be spreading statewide.
The big picture: Measles cases have been reported in eight states this year, but most are in Texas, per the CDC.
The latest: Texas reported 34 more cases yesterday compared to the previous report on Friday.
Yes, but: An increasing number of Texas parents are opting out of vaccinating their children for personal or religious reasons.
Stunning stat: In West Texas, 101 of the people with confirmed measles cases are 17 or younger.
Threat level: The latest outbreak is the largest in Texas in 30 years. The state had smaller outbreaks in 2019 and 2013.
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State reports West Texas measles outbreak cases now at 124
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State medical experts have confirmed 124 cases of measles in Texas. This is the largest measles outbreak in Texas in 30 years.
Here is how it started and an overview of the situation, as of Feb. 25.
A new year begins with a health alert
The outbreak originated in Gaines County, a small West Texas county, in January. A health alert was issued by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Jan. 23. Two school-age children tested positive and were hospitalized and discharged by the time the alert was released.
But the first confirmed cases of measles in 2025 were detected in Harris County, according to HHS. These two people lived in the same household and had traveled internationally in recent days. They were both unvaccinated.
These cases were not associated with the outbreak, but they were the first cases in Texas since 2023.
By the end of January and first week of February, 10 cases were confirmed in Gaines County, and an alert of an outbreak was issued. All were cases of unvaccinated people, including many school-age children.
Cases spread across counties, and health officials go on alert
Over the next few weeks, more cases were confirmed in and around Gaines County.
By Valentine’s Day, 50 cases were confirmed, and the next week saw 90 cases.
HHS releases updated numbers of cases every Tuesday and Friday.
Further exposure
An alert on exposures in Central Texas was issued after an individual who visited San Marcos, New Braunfels and San Antonio tested positive for the virus.
The person who tested positive visited major tourist destinations and highly populated areas of the cities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Buc-ees store in New Braunfels, Texas State University and San Antonio’s River Walk.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, HHS, issued this statement: “The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting an outbreak of measles in the South Plains region of Texas. At this time, 124 cases have been identified since late January. Eighteen of the patients have been hospitalized. Five of the cases are vaccinated. The rest are unvaccinated, or their vaccination status is unknown. Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities. DSHS is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.”
Anita Kurian, the deputy director of San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District, said the first thing concerned people should do is check their vaccination status.
“If you think you’ve been potentially exposed, regardless of your vaccination status, go ahead and start self-monitoring yourself for symptoms,” Kurian said. “You should monitor this for at least 21 days from your date of last exposure …. it’s very important — do not show up in your doctor’s office or any other health care facility unannounced because you will be putting the medical staff and other patients at risk.”
Who should be vaccinated?
Those who are unsure of their vaccination status can contact the Texas Department of State Health Services or call Metro Health and request records.
Measles is preventable with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The American Academy of Pediatrics explained that about 95 of every 100 people vaccinated with one dose are protected, and 97-99 out of 100 are protected with two doses.
The first dose is administered at 12 to 15 months, and the second dose comes later once the child reaches school age.
Older adults who were born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 should consider revaccination. During this time frame, an inactive or killed virus was administered and proved to be ineffective.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least one dose for those adults who may have received the inactive virus.
Risks for pregnant women?
Pregnant women cannot receive the vaccine because it is a living virus and can cause bad birth outcomes, Kurian explained.
The CDC advised women who are planning to become pregnant to check if they are vaccinated beforehand or get the vaccine before.
Contracting the virus during pregnancy could lead to severe birth defects, the CDC explained.
Risks for disabled and immunocompromised people?
Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease specialist at UT Health San Antonio, advised exposed caretakers to be mindful if they are the only people taking care of an immunocompromised person.
“They should avoid sharing utensils, drinking glasses,” he explained, “They should use hand hygiene frequently, and they should also be cleaning environmental surfaces frequently, as well as much separation as they can do. They should implement that until they’re past the time period of being a more transmissible risk.”
Bowling added that immunocompromised people are one of the highest at risk for catching measles and other severe illnesses.
Outbreaks in the past
Bowling added that the disease was believed to have been eradicated in 2001 but some outbreaks have occurred since.
“[Outbreaks] tend to happen in areas where there’s high densities of people that are unvaccinated. In areas where there’s more vaccinated people, we tend not to see ongoing outbreaks,” he said. “So we still have high vaccination rate uptake rate overall in Bexar County.”
What are the signs and symptoms?
For those concerned that their child may have contracted measles, they can look for these symptoms:
A rash forms first on the face and head and then moves down to the other areas of the body. The rash can last around five to six days and will appear after the fever sets in.
The symptoms usually set in around eight to 12 days after exposure. An infected person is contagious up to four days before the rash appears and four days after the rash appears, the American Academy of Pediatrics explained.
The virus can also lead to more serious complications like pneumonia, brain swelling, deafness, and it sometimes can be fatal.
Metro Health officials said they will offer pop up vaccinations locations if needed, a service offered since before the outbreak. They have also begun educational outreach too.
Jackie Velez contributed to this report.
