Measles Outbreak: Cases In Texas Near 200 After Deceased Man In New Mexico Tested Positive – Forbes
Topline
A measles outbreak in Texas has infected nearly 200 people as of Friday, one day after a deceased man in a New Mexico county also experiencing an outbreak tested positive for the illness, though his official cause of death is still under investigation.
Key Facts
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported its outbreak had grown to 198 cases of measles as of Friday, with 23 of the patients having been hospitalized.
The Texas health department said just five of the cases are in vaccinated people, with the remainder of the sick patients being unvaccinated (80) or having an unknown vaccination status (113).
On Thursday, the New Mexico Department of Health said a deceased man in Lea County who was unvaccinated against measles tested positive for the virus, though they said he did not seek medical care before passing and “the official cause of death is still under investigation.”
Lea County, New Mexico, is home to all 30 of the state’s confirmed measles cases, and is about 47 miles from Gaines County, Texas, where the majority of Texas’ measles cases have been detected.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said last month the outbreak was “not unusual” before recently recognizing its “serious impact.”
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Where In Texas Is The Measles Outbreak?
Some 137 of the measles cases are located in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock. The remaining cases are in Terry County (29), Dawson County (9), Yoakum County (8), Dallam County (5), Martin County (3), Lubbock County (3), Ector County (2) and Lynn County (2).
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