Measles cases in Texas, New Mexico, rise to 317 as outbreak spreads

Amid measles outbreak, cases in Texas, New Mexico climb to 317

Robert Besser
21 Mar 2025, 09:39 GMT+10

Measles cases in Texas, New Mexico, rise to 317 as outbreak spreads

Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico increased to 317 on March 18, up from 294 four days earlier, as the U.S. faces one of its worst outbreaks in a decade
The country has already exceeded last year's total of 285 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Immunologist Frederic Bertley said cases could reach around 1,200 this year, nearly five times higher than last year

AUSTIN/SANTA FE: Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico increased to 317 on March 18, up from 294 four days earlier, as the U.S. faces one of its worst outbreaks in a decade.

The country has already exceeded last year's total of 285 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Immunologist Frederic Bertley said cases could reach around 1,200 this year, nearly five times higher than last year.

In 2019, the U.S. recorded 1,274 measles cases, the highest since 1992.

Gaines County, Texas, the center of the outbreak, saw cases rise to 191 on March 18 from 174 on March 14. Across the state, 36 people have been hospitalized.

In New Mexico, the number of cases increased from 35 to 38, with two in Eddy County and the rest in Lea County, which borders Gaines County.

Last week, Oklahoma health officials reported four "probable" cases of unvaccinated people who were exposed to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.

Infectious disease expert Lisa Lee said controlling a measles outbreak can take months to a year but can be prevented if 95 percent to 99 percent of people are vaccinated.

An unvaccinated child in Texas died of measles in February, the first U.S. death from the disease since 2015. Another unvaccinated adult in New Mexico also died, but the case is still under investigation.

The CDC has said the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most important tool for preventing measles.