The measles outbreak impacting Texas and New Mexico has now exceeded 300 cases, surpassing the number of measles cases reported in all of the U.S. last year.
According to the latest update from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), 279 measles cases have been reported in the state. In neighboring New Mexico, 38 cases have been confirmed as of Tuesday, totaling 317 cases across both states.
In all of 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 285 cases nationally.
The cases have primarily occurred in Gaines County, Texas, and Lea County, N.M., which sit opposite each other on the Texas-New Mexico border.
There have been two deaths, one in each state, related to the current measles outbreak, and both occurred in patients who were unvaccinated. The death in Texas was directly attributed to measles, while the cause of death for the New Mexican individual, who tested positive for the virus, is still being investigated.
Of the cases in Texas, 36 have resulted in hospitalizations, while two people have been hospitalized in New Mexico.
Measles is one of the most contagious respiratory viral illnesses, with one infected individual capable of infecting nine out of 10 unvaccinated people they encounter. There are no antivirals or treatments specifically indicated for measles.
According to the CDC, there have been three confirmed outbreaks of measles in the U.S. so far in 2025, with 93 percent of cases linked to outbreaks.
Two full doses of a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is 97 percent effective against measles and only needs to be done once in a lifetime.
As DSHS emphasized in its update, it takes 14 days after vaccination for the body to develop an immunity to measles, and it is only at that point at which someone is considered fully vaccinated.
