A measles outbreak in the South Plains region of northwest Texas has infected at least 90 people since late January, Texas state health officials reported Friday, with 77 cases in teenagers or children and 16 cases leading to hospitalizations. Across the state border, nearby Lea County, New Mexico, reported 10 cases.
The viral airborne disease is highly contagious, causing rashes, fever, and respiratory issues—children under 5 and immunocompromised people are at higher risk. Prior to a 1963 vaccine, nearly every American teenager contracted measles by age 15, killing around 500 people each year. The disease was declared eliminated—meaning no continuous, endemic transmission—in the US in 2000.
Officials have not determined the origin of the current outbreak. Of the 90 cases reported in Texas, five had been vaccinated against the disease while the rest were either unvaccinated or had unknown status.
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