THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The first death has been reported in the ongoing measles outbreak affecting the South Plains and Panhandle regions of Texas and Lea County, New Mexico.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the victim was an unvaccinated school-aged child who died on Feb. 26 in a hospital in Lubbock after being diagnosed with measles last week.
New numbers have been released by the DSHS regarding the measles outbreak in Gaines County and the surrounding communities: 124 individuals, including at least 101 children and 18 adults, have been infected as of Feb. 25. In Lea County, New Mexico, nine individuals have been infected, including four children and five adults, the New Mexico Department of Health reported.
Most cases have been identified among unvaccinated individuals; however, five individuals say they have been vaccinated. Symptom onset began within the last month, and so far, 18 patients have been hospitalized, and now, one has died.
Earlier this year, the Houston Health Department confirmed two cases of measles in Harris County residents, which were the first measles cases reported in Texas since 2023 and prompted a DSHS health alert on Jan. 23.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2023 to 2024 school year saw the highest level of vaccine exemptions for kindergarteners (3.3 percent). The DSHS notes that in Gaines County, the number was much higher, at 17.62 percent (nearly one in five children).
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