Texas measles cases at 30-year high

 

 

 

PP Cherian Dallas

Texas: The number of measles cases linked to an outbreak in West Texas has risen to 90, according to new data released Friday.

A DSHS spokesman said it was the largest measles outbreak in the state in more than 30 years

MORE: Measles cases in the U.S. are on the rise as the Texas measles outbreak continues. Children and teens accounted for the majority of the 51 cases, followed by children ages 4 and younger with 26 cases.

Gaines County is the epicenter of the outbreak, with 57 confirmed cases among residents, according to DSHS. State health data shows the number of vaccine exemptions in the county has increased significantly.

About 7.5% of kindergarteners had a parent or guardian who requested an exemption for at least one vaccine in 2013. Ten years later, that number had risen to more than 17.5% -- one of the highest rates in Texas, according to state health data.

Similar to local outbreaks, all confirmed cases nationally are in people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to man. According to the CDC, measles can be spread to nine out of 10 people in close contact with an infected person.

Health officials have urged anyone who has not been vaccinated to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The CDC currently recommends that people get two doses of the vaccine, the first between 12 and 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years of age. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective.

In the decade before the measles vaccine became available, the federal health agency estimates that 3 to 4 million people were infected each year.