Measles outbreak in Texas

Editor: When you have an entire political party adopting conspiracy theories and misinformation about vaccines, this is what happens: A Measles outbreak in Texas.

Some people trust government officials, especially those who are representing their state. So intentionally lying to people that trust you is absolutely reprehensible. If any of these children in Texas die, the GOP should ask themselves why they are purposefully killing children. Is that why you outlawed abortion? To make up for all the babies you kill with your lies?

I’m sorry, but I’m done being civil to a group of politicians that does nothing but lie, grift, and as of 2025, attempt to become the one party that will remain in power forever. They lie to their constituents about things they know could result in them dying. They advocated for people NOT to wear masks during the COVID pandemic (after they said it wasn’t even real, just a hoax by Democrats that would disappear after the 2020 election. How’d that work out for you, Ted Cruz? Have you looked into how many of your constituents died because they trusted the information they were getting from you and Fox News?

Quick ADD moment: I still find it hard to believe that our government can’t do anything about a news channel that intentionally spreads lies during a public health emergency. They were telling viewers not to trust the CDC and Dr. Fauci. The Republican members of Congress were telling citizens not to listen to the CDC. Part of the government they run. Meanwhile President Trump is telling people to take hydrochloroquine and drink bleach. 😒 I guess I just answered my own question.

Here are more details on the Measles outbreak in Texas we reported yesterday from Texas Tribune.

At least 10 cases of measles — eight of which are among school-aged children — have been reported in Gaines County in West Texas over the past two weeks, driving worries of an escalating outbreak.

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Of the cases so far, seven have been hospitalized, according to a Texas Health and Human Services alert. All were unvaccinated and residents of Gaines County, which has a population of about 22,000 and borders New Mexico.

“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in Gaines County and the surrounding communities,” the alert said.

The new cases come more than a week after Texas health officials reported two Measles cases out of Gaines County, both involving unvaccinated school-aged children. Both children were hospitalized in Lubbock and later discharged. Earlier this week, state health officials said the number of cases had grown to six. Since then, cases have increased further.

West Texas is not alone in new cases of measles. In January, new measles cases were also reported in Harris County, prompting a health alert from the state and marking the first time Texans were confirmed to have the disease since 2023. The two Harris County cases involved unvaccinated adult residents.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease. Symptoms could include a high fever, cough, runny nose and rash that starts on the face but then extends to the rest of the body. The health consequences of getting measles can be serious and sometimes result in death.

Last year, 40% of all the 245 nationwide who contracted measles were hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of those hospitalized with measles last year were under the age of five.

The disease’s prevalence has accelerated in recent years. According to the CDC, by March 2024 there were more reported measles cases that year than in all of 2023. The rise comes more than two decades after measles was considered eliminated by health agencies in 2000, meaning that there had been no continuous spreading of the disease for 12 months.

The new cases both nationwide and in Texas come as the state’s measles vaccination rate among kindergarteners has dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccination rate was 97% in the 2019-20 school year and declined to 94.3% for 2023-24. Around the same time, the number of vaccine exemption requests in Texas have doubled from 45,900 in 2018 to 93,000 in 2024.

State lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills so far this legislative session aimed at weakening vaccination mandates. One proposal would even amend the Texas Constitution to preserve a Texans’ right to refuse vaccination.

Texas health officials have consistently said that vaccination is the best way for people to steer clear of measles and other preventable diseases. The vaccination process includes two separate doses.

“Children too young to be vaccinated are more likely to have severe complications if they get infected with the measles virus,” the Texas health officials wrote in a Jan. 30 release. “However, each MMR dose lowers the risk of infection and the severity of illness if infected.”

Experts recommend that children get the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in two doses: the first between 12 months and 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles infection, and two doses are about 97% effective.

This article in this post was originally published on the Texas Tribune website and parts of it are republished here, with permission under a Creative Commons license.

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