A small county in West Texas with one of the highest percentages of vaccine exemptions in the state has verified 15 measles cases, the most of which have been among school-age children.
Zach Holbrooks, the director of the South Plains Public Health District, stated on Monday that the first two instances in Gaines County were reported to his department in late January and that they were “two children who had seen a physician in Lubbock.”
Holbrooks said that the inquiry is still underway, but some of the cases seem to be related to the district’s private religious schools.
“Our teams are investigating exposure sites and the history of those cases, but I wouldn’t say they’re all connected,” he stated.
Last Monday, local health officials opened a drive-through immunization clinic and are now providing screening services to locals.
In 2024, there were more measles outbreaks in the United States, including an outbreak in Chicago that left over 60 people ill.
Metro Atlanta health officials are attempting to contain a measles infection that spread to two family members who were not vaccinated this month.
According to Texas law, children may be excluded from school vaccinations for religious or other moral grounds.
According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, the proportion of children having exemptions increased from.76% in 2014 to 2.32% last year, a ten-year increase.
The percentage of school-age children in Gaines County who choose not to receive at least one mandatory vaccination is among the highest in Texas: In the 2023–24 school year, almost 14% of kindergarten–12 students had an exemption, which is more than the national rate of 3.3% and more than five times the state average of 2.32%.
However, DSHS spokeswoman Lara Anton stated that because many children in Gaines County are homeschooled and their statistics would not be recorded, the county’s unvaccinated child figure is probably far higher.
The two-shot regimen of vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella is advised around 12 to 15 months of age and again between 4 and 6 years of age. The majority of American public schools require the vaccination.
However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates have decreased nationally, and the majority of states have kindergartner immunization rates below the 95% threshold, which is necessary to safeguard communities from measles outbreaks.
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Various vaccine requirement amendments have been proposed by lawmakers nationwide as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine campaigner, awaits confirmation as the secretary of Health and Human Services.
“There were no immediate reports of infection, but one of the early Gaines County cases traveled to neighboring New Mexico while they were still infectious,” Anton added.
According to Holbrooks, the West Texas instances don’t seem to be related to the two measles cases that were identified in the Houston area in early January.
The virus that causes measles is extremely contagious and can linger in the air for up to two hours.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that up to 90% of vulnerable individuals will contract the virus if exposed.
Between 3 and 4 million cases were reported annually in the United States prior to the introduction of the vaccine in 1963. These days, on an average year, it is typically less than 200.
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