Texas measles outbreak 2025: State reports dozens of new cases, infections in new counties

TEXAS - Measles cases continue to rise across the state, with the Department of State Health Services reporting dozens of new cases since Tuesday, with the highest concentration of cases in West Texas.

In an update provided Friday, state health officials identified 36 new cases of measles and reported cases in two additional counties.

Half of the newly reported cases are in Gaines County, about 80 miles southwest of Lubbock, which has been the epicenter of the outbreak.

Texas measles outbreak

The Latest Update:

The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 259 cases of measles since late January.

Gaines County accounted for 18 of the 36 new cases reported Friday. The West Texas county has been the center of the outbreak.

READ MORE: Who are the Mennonites? Texas measles outbreak impacts community

Two new counties reported cases on Friday; Cochran County reported six cases and Lamar County, which reported four cases.

In Texas, one school-aged child died from complications with the measles and 34 patients have been hospitalized. That's an increase of five hospitalizations since Tuesday.

READ MORE: Measles vaccination rates in Texas: Find your school district.

Measles cases continue to rise across the state, with the Department of State Health Services reporting dozens of new cases since Tuesday, with the highest concentration of cases in West Texas.

In an update provided Friday, state health officials identified 36 new cases of measles and reported cases in two additional counties.

Half of the newly reported cases are in Gaines County, about 80 miles southwest of Lubbock, which has been the epicenter of the outbreak. Four of them are in North Texas.

Texas measles outbreak

The Latest Update

The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 259 cases of measles since late January.

Gaines County accounted for 18 of the 36 new cases reported Friday. The West Texas county has been the center of the outbreak.

READ MORE: Who are the Mennonites? Texas measles outbreak impacts community

Two new counties reported cases on Friday: Cochran County reported six and Lamar County reported four.

In Texas, one school-aged child died from complications with the measles and 34 patients have been hospitalized. That's an increase of five hospitalizations since Tuesday.

READ MORE: Measles vaccination rates in Texas: Find your school district.

What they're saying:

"If you put somebody who has measles virus in a room with ten other people, nine out of those ten people would end up getting measles virus from that person," said Dr. Ben Bradley, a virologist and microbiologist.

Physicians fear the numbers across the Lone Star State are even higher.

"There's a very good chance that there are a lot of people in that community that are down sick with measles but never get that the test to document their infection," said Dr. Donald Karcher, president of the College of American Pathologists.

The mortality rate for measles is estimated to be one out of every 1,000 patients. However, some doctors are sounding alarm bells, pointing to research that suggests once a patient has been infected, there are long-term health risks.

"These children will have lower antibodies against other viruses and bacteria that they may have previously been immunized to," said Dr. Bradley.

He warns that issues can pop up more than a decade later, such as a form of encephalitis called SSPE.

"This is a progressive, degenerative neurological condition that is uniformly fatal," said Dr. Bradley. "But this often, or in the rare events where this does occur, this can happen ten years after the virus infection."

Medical experts say to fully prevent the outbreak from spreading any further, roughly 95% of a community's population has to be fully vaccinated.

By the numbers:

The Texas Department of State Health Services released more information about the 259 cases in the state in connection to the outbreak centered in Gaines County.

Measles cases have also been detected in Austin and Rockwall County, but both of those cases involved people who had traveled abroad. 

The cases are not included in the update from DSHS. Two cases in Harris County have also been reported, but those were also associated with international travel and one Harris County case had symptoms in 2024.

It is the biggest measles outbreak in Texas in the last 30 years.

Here are the total cases by county:

• Gaines County: 174
• Lubbock County: 4
• Lynn County: 2
• Terry County: 36
• Yoakum County: 11
• Dawson County: 11
• Ector County: 2
• Dallam County: 6
• Martin County: 3
• Cochran County : 6
• Lamar County: 4

Here are the total cases by age:

• 0-4 years: 86 cases
• 5-17 years: 115 cases
• 18+: 46 cases
• Unknown: 12 cases

Here is the vaccination status of the patients:

• Not Vaccinated/unknown status: 257
• Vaccinated with two or more doses: 2

On Friday, health officials said three cases they classified as vaccinated were not vaccinated cases. In those instances, two cases had gotten vaccine doses one or two days before symptoms started, and after exposure. 

It takes around 14 days to develop immunity after vaccination.

The third case that had previously been labeled as a vaccination case was in Lubbock County where a person had a reaction to the vaccine. The case has been removed from the count.

Health officials said that while the vaccine can cause a reaction with a rash and fever that mimics measles, it is not an infection and cannot spread to others.

What's next:

The Texas Department of State Health Services releases case updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.

What is measles?

Why you should care:

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. 

Measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. 

Illness onset (high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes) begins a week or two after someone is exposed. A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. 

A person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People with measles should stay home from work or school during that period.

Symptoms of Measles

Common symptoms for measles include: 

• High fever (as high as 105°F)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red and watery eyes
• Tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth 2-3 days after symptoms begin
• Rash 3-5 days after other signs of illness. The "measles rash" typically starts at the face and then spreads down to the rest of the body.

How to prevent getting measles

The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.

Some vaccinated people can occasionally develop measles; however, they generally experience milder symptoms and are less likely to spread the disease to other people.

What to do if you've been exposed to measles

If you think you have measles or have been exposed to someone with measles, isolate yourself from others and call your healthcare provider before arriving to be tested so they can prepare for your arrival without exposing other people to the virus. Measles is extremely contagious and can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. Review your and your child’s vaccination history to see if you are up-to-date on your measles vaccines. Additionally, discuss with your provider your vaccination history and any questions about these vaccines.

Controlling outbreaks in group settings

• People with confirmed or suspected measles should stay home from school, work, and other group settings until after the fourth day of rash onset.
• During an outbreak, people without documented immunity from vaccination or previous measles infection should be isolated from anyone with measles to protect those without immunity and control the outbreak.
• According to the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Rule §97.7, schools and childcare settings shall exclude unimmunized children for at least 21 days after the last date the unimmunized child was exposed to a measles case.