Measles Cases Surge in Gaines County Texas Amid Declining Vaccination Rates

At least 24 cases of measles have been detected in Gaines County, Texas, according to the state's Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The health authority warned that additional cases are likely due to the highly infectious nature of the disease.

None of the 24 infected individuals had received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Among them, two are adults and 22 are children. Nine of the patients were hospitalized as a result of the infection.

U.S. vaccination rates for measles have fallen in recent years, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts connect recent measles outbreaks to an increase in parents seeking exemptions from vaccinations, a trend fueled by political backlash against coronavirus restrictions and widespread misinformation about vaccine safety.

The outbreak is concentrated in a small county in West Texas, which has a population of around 22,500. Over 3 percent of K-12 students in Gaines County had a conscientious exemption for at least one vaccine in the 2023-2024 school year, the highest recorded by Texas DSHS. Moreover, estimates suggest that 14 percent of school-age children in the county had an exemption for at least one vaccine, one of the highest rates in Texas.

The CDC warns that even a slight decline in vaccination rates can significantly increase the likelihood of outbreaks. Vaccination rates must exceed 95 percent in communities to prevent measles, which can easily cross borders. Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, tiny white spots (koplik spots), and a rash that appears later.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the DSHS tracked three schools in Gaines County. The highest MMR vaccination rate among kindergarten-age students was about 94.3 percent, while the lowest was approximately 46.2 percent. A sampling of seventh-graders reflected a MMR vaccination rate of about 55.6 percent.

Measles can lead to severe illness and death, particularly in children under five, according to the CDC. Before a vaccine was introduced in 1963, measles accounted for an estimated 400 to 500 deaths annually in the United States, resulting in about 48,000 hospitalizations each year.

Thanks to government-sponsored immunization campaigns, the number of measles cases significantly dropped, leading to the United States declaring the elimination of the disease by 2000. A 2023 CDC report indicated that measles vaccinations prevented around 57 million deaths worldwide from 2000 to 2022. However, the report also noted that a drop in childhood immunizations during the coronavirus pandemic increased estimated measles cases by 18 percent and deaths by approximately 43 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.

President Donald Trump, noted for his skepticism about vaccines, has taken mixed stances on the issue. He pledged during his campaign to cut federal funding for schools that required vaccinations, and last month, he signed an executive order reinstating U.S. service members dismissed for refusing the coronavirus vaccine, describing it as "correcting an injustice."