Measles cases approach 150 in ongoing West Texas outbreak

One hundred forty-six measles cases have been reported in the outbreak in West Texas, the Texas Department of Health Services said in an update today. This is 22 more confirmed cases since an update on Tuesday, when 124 cases were reported.

One hundred forty-six measles cases have been reported in the outbreak in West Texas, the Texas Department of Health Services said in an update today. This is 22 more confirmed cases since an update on Tuesday, when 124 cases were reported. Twenty patients have been hospitalized, and most cases are in children aged 5 to 17 years old. Around 10% of cases have been in infants, who can have serious outcomes from measles, Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner for the Texas department of State Health Services said on Friday. Infants younger than 1 are generally not protected with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine; the first shot is recommended when babies reach 12 to 15 months of age. However, during an outbreak, some infants younger than 1 may receive a dose of vaccine. The actual number of measles cases in Texas is greater than what is reported in Friday’s update, she said. Some cases may have gone uncounted and others are awaiting lab confirmation. The bulk of cases in the Texas outbreak, 98, remain in Gaines County, where the outbreak began, but there has been spread to eight other counties, including Terry County with 21 cases. While most cases are in patients that were unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status, five cases were found in people who said they have been vaccinated.