Two lives were lost and more than 200 infected from measles in a major outbreak in the southwestern United States.
Health authorities have therefore issued urgent warnings.
In Texas, there are 198 cases, and in New Mexico, 10—bringing the total to 208—on top of that one fatality reported in each state, both unvaccinated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one patient in New Mexico was diagnosed with measles posthumously, although the official cause of death remains unspecified.
Both deaths have been classified by the CDC as measles-related.
Serum research confirms that “more cases are expected as this outbreak continues to expand rapidly,” the CDC warned in a Health Alert Network advisory issued to healthcare providers, public health officials, and travelers.
Measles is a very contagious disease which can spread through the air from an infected person via respiratory droplets and may remain viable in the air for up to two hours after the infected person left the site. The symptoms include fever and cough plus a rash that is usually very distinctive.
Complications may be severe, lethal pneumonia, brain inflammation, and even death. Vaccination is the most effective protection. It is recommended that children over the age of 12 months receive the measles vaccine.
The single vaccine dose gives immunity in about 93 percent of cases and two doses in about 97 percent. Immunization rates in the U.S. are, however, a matter of great debate. Because of misinformation about vaccines, the rates have declined, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CDC states that herd immunity needs a vaccination rate of 95%, but that national coverage for kindergarten-aged children plummeted to 92.7% in the school year 2023-2024.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted debunked claims linking the MMR vaccine to autism. He has recently become more accepting of vaccinations, and though he continues to advocate for alternatives such as vitamin A, he recommends vaccination now.
