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Measles outbreak in US sees 35% surge; Texas hardest hit
What’s the story
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded a concerning 35% spike in cases of measles in the US, just in the last week. The outbreak, which has already been linked to two deaths, now extends to 12 states.
New Mexico’s health department reported on Friday that an adult who died and later tested positive for measles had succumbed to the disease.
New Mexico reports potential measles-related death
However, the cause of death of the person in New Mexico hasn’t yet been confirmed by the state’s medical examiner.
If confirmed as measles-related, it will be the state’s first such fatality in at least 40 years, according to the CDC.
The CDC’s report also showed US measles cases have increased by 58 in the past week, taking the tally to 222 in 12 states.
Texas and New Mexico report significant increase in cases
Of the affected states, Texas has been the worst hit with 198 reported cases as of Friday. This was 39 higher than the previous update on March 4.
New Mexico too witnessed a jump in confirmed cases to 30, which is 20 higher than its last report.
All reported cases from New Mexico were found in Lea County, which abuts Gaines County, the epicenter in Texas.
CDC acknowledges Texas outbreak may be larger than reported
The CDC’s weekly data doesn’t include the latest updates from Texas and New Mexico. The numbers are only for confirmed cases reported the Thursday before data release.
Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said he doesn’t believe the outbreak is over yet.
“It’s a huge population out there,” he said, suggesting potential underreporting due to insufficient testing.
CDC deploys team to Texas for outbreak tracking
In response to the outbreak, a team of CDC experts has been sent to Texas. This comes after the Department of State Health Services requested federal assistance on February 28.
The team includes three CDC physicians with experience in infectious diseases and four epidemiologists; they are split across the West Texas region where the outbreak is located.
Vaccination efforts
CDC provides vaccines to Texas amid measles outbreak
The CDC has so far provided 2,000 vaccines to Texas. The state has also brought on an extra 36 contractors to assist with vaccinations and collection of specimens.
In Gaines County, Texas’s worst-hit area, nearly one in five children are unvaccinated.
Public health officials stress the MMR vaccine is 93% effective after one dose, and the best protection against this highly contagious disease.
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