The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) has confirmed 19 additional instances of measles since its previous update, increasing the state’s overall tally to 702.
The state, identified as the nation’s largest measles hotspot, has documented outbreak-associated cases from 29 counties, mostly in west Texas. Currently, 91 individuals have been hospitalized, indicating an increase of 2 from the previous report. Out of 702 instances, 672 pertained to unvaccinated individuals or those with an uncertain vaccination status.
Texas, like numerous other states, continues to report a series of measles cases not associated with the primary epidemic. The state has documented 16 instances of this kind.
Other states have tracked measles cases associated with the Texas epidemic, and today Oklahoma announced an additional infection, increasing the overall number to 17, which included three probable cases.
Researchers have cautioned that the nation is at a critical juncture for the resurgence of endemic measles, 25 years after the illness was proclaimed eliminated inside its borders.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported an increase in cases in Gaines County, the epicenter of the epidemic, from 396 to 403 since the previous update.
The health department of New Mexico reported 67 instances, in line with its last update. The majority of the state’s cases originate from Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas.
Additionally, three states in the Midwest reported new cases. The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed two more instances, increasing the total to six, all among adults. The two recent incidents pertained to individuals from southern Illinois. One individual is from the Franklin-Williamson bi-county region, where three instances among socially connected individuals fulfill the federal criteria for an epidemic.
The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services disclosed a total of four measles cases, including its first since 2011 and three further cases. Health authorities said that the three cases are unvaccinated individuals who are closely connected to the first case.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services recently announced a confirmed case affecting an adult citizen of New Madrid County, who presumably had little contact with others throughout the infectious period. Authorities said that the case is not connected to any previous incidents or documented exposures in Missouri.
The measles outbreak isn’t limited to the United States; South Korea has documented the highest rate of measles in six years, raising fears that inadequate vaccination rates, coupled with foreign travel, are exacerbating outbreaks in the area.
The nation has reported 52 instances so far this year, surpassing the 49 documented for the whole of 2024, according to the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) this week. This is the highest number since 2019, when 194 instances were documented.
