Texas Measles Outbreak Escalates to 124 Cases

A sign outside Seminole Hospital District points to measles testing on Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas. Julio Cortez/AP Photo

In Texas, the measles outbreak—the largest the state has seen in recent decades—has grown to 124 confirmed cases, state health officials reported on Tuesday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said 18 of the infected individuals have been hospitalized. The vast majority of cases involve people under the age of 18, with 39 infections in children younger than 4 and 62 cases in those aged 5 to 17.

Five patients had already been already vaccinated, while the remainder were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.

As of Feb. 21, state health officials had reported 90 cases across seven counties. The virus has since spread to Dallam and Martin counties, bringing the total number of affected counties to nine.

For now, the outbreak remains concentrated in Gaines County (80 cases) and Terry County (21 cases), while other counties report single-digit infections.

“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” the state health department said.

Beyond West Texas, health officials have confirmed measles exposure at university campuses and restaurants in San Marcos, New Braunfels, and San Antonio. The exposure was traced to an individual from the outbreak area who visited two major universities and some popular tourist attractions before testing positive for the virus.

Additionally, New Mexico’s Lea County, which borders Gaines County, has reported nine cases.

Measles is caused by an airborne virus that spreads easily via coughing and sneezing. Symptoms typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a distinctive rash that begins on the face before spreading across the body.

In severe cases, measles can cause serious neurologic or respiratory complications. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), death from complications of measles occurs in one to three of every 1,000 cases in the country.

More than two decades after the disease was declared eliminated in the United States—a status indicating that there had been no continuous spreading of the disease for 12 months—measles cases are undergoing a resurgence. Data from the CDC suggests more measles cases have been reported in the first three months of 2024 than in all of 2023.

Texas and federal health officials have consistently said that vaccination is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles. The vaccination process includes two separate doses.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent advocate of vaccine safety who recently took office as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has announced a new initiative to investigate potential health risks associated with vaccines and many other factors.

In his first remarks to HHS staff, Kennedy said the Make America Healthy Again Commission, created last week through an executive order by President Donald Trump, will examine vaccines, pesticides, and antidepressants to determine if they contribute to the rise in childhood chronic conditions like ADHD and obesity.

“Some of the possible factors we will investigate were formerly taboo or insufficiently scrutinized,” he said.

“The childhood vaccine schedule, electromagnetic radiation, glyphosate, other pesticides, ultra-processed foods, artificial food allergists, SSRI and other psychiatric drugs, BFAs, PFOAs, microplastics—nothing is going to be off limits.”