A measles outbreak in Texas that infected more than 700 people has been officially declared, State health officials announced Mondays.
The outbreak was the largest in the state in more than 30 years and caused the death of two children not vaccinated in school age.
Health officials declared the outbreak after more than 42 days without a new case, a time -based limit between when a person is exposed when he gets sick.
At the end of January, a group of cases was reported in western Texas near Gaines County, near the border with New Mexico, which had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state.
There were a total of 762 cases with more than two thirds of infections among children, according to the Texas State Health Services Department (DSHS). Almost 100 people were hospitalized.
The infections extended to other parts of the State, as well as to New Mexico, where another unaccocked person died after contracting measles.
In this archive photo of February 27, 2025, they indicate the way to measles tests in the parking lot of the Seminole hospital in front of the Wigwam stadium, in Seminole, Texas.
Jan Sonnenmair/Getty images, file
“I want to highlight the tireless work of public health professionals throughout the State who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses,” said Dr. Jennifer Shuford, DSHS commissioner, in a press release. “We arrived at this point through a comprehensive outbreak response that included tests, vaccination, disease monitoring and educating the public about measles through awareness campaigns.”
Texas health officials warned that the State experiences additional cases this year due to current outbreaks in other parts of the United States and the world.
“The end of this outbreak is certainly encouraging, but measles remains one of the most contagious viruses we face, and continuous surveillance is critical given continuous outbreaks both in the United States and around the world,” said Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and medical taxpayer of ABC News.
At the national level, more than 1,350 measles cases have been reported in at least 40 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centers for disease control and prevention). It is the greatest number of measles cases observed in the USA since 1992.
The virus was declared eliminated by health officials in 2000 After a full year without continuous propagation, but the decrease in vaccination rates has led to an increasing number of outbreaks annually, experts say. It is estimated that 92% of cases at the national level are not vaccinated or have an unknown state of vaccination.
“Vaccination rates in many communities are still too low, leaving large pockets of measles vulnerable to measles and other preventable diseases, and that is why we are likely to continue seeing sprouts,” Brownstein said.
He 2024-2025 school year He had a record number of non -medical vaccine exemptions, with an estimate of 286,000 Kindergarten who attended school without documentation to receive the shot against measles, according to CDC data.
“Measles is not happening in isolation: we are seeing a broader resurgence of preventable vaccine diseases, from the Pertine cough to polio threats, which underlines the urgent need to maintain a high coverage of vaccination and public confidence in immunization,” Brownstein added.
The measles vaccine, papers and rubella (MMR) It is recommended for children in the US. Receive after your first birthday, followed by a second dose between the ages of four and six. It has been shown that two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective against infection.
