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A measles outbreak in the southwestern United States has resulted in two deaths and more than 200 infections, prompting a leading health agency to issue a travel warning.
As of Friday, Texas had recorded 198 cases, while New Mexico had reported 30, bringing the total number of infections to 228. Each state has confirmed one fatality, with both victims being unvaccinated.
In Texas, the deceased was a child, whereas in New Mexico, an adult tested positive for measles posthumously.
Although the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator has not officially determined the adult’s cause of death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified it as measles-related.
“More cases are expected as this outbreak continues to expand rapidly,” the CDC warned in a Health Alert Network advisory addressed to healthcare workers, public health officials, and travellers.
“With spring and summer travel season approaching in the United States, CDC emphasises the important role that clinicians and public health officials play in preventing the spread of measles,” the agency stated.
“They should be vigilant for cases of febrile rash illness that meet the measles case definition and share effective measles prevention strategies, including vaccination guidance for international travellers.”
Measles is an extremely contagious virus that spreads through respiratory droplets and can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected individual has left the area. Symptoms include fever, respiratory issues, and a distinctive rash, though severe complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation, and even death can occur.
Vaccination remains the most effective protection against the disease. A single dose of the measles vaccine, administered from 12 months of age, provides 93% lifelong immunity, increasing to 97% after the second dose.
However, immunisation rates in the US have been falling, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, which fuelled a rise in vaccine misinformation.
The CDC recommends a 95% vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity, yet nationwide coverage among kindergarten-age children had dropped to 92.7% by the 2023-2024 period.
The outbreak’s epicentre is a west Texas county home to a large Mennonite religious community with historically low vaccination uptake. Religious exemptions have also been rising, contributing to the declining immunisation rates.
Current Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent decades falsely linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism—claims that have been thoroughly debunked by scientific research.
Since the outbreak intensified, he has moderated his stance, now advising vaccination while simultaneously advocating for alternative treatments such as vitamin A and steroids.
While these treatments have medical validity, experts caution that emphasising them could detract from the urgent need to improve vaccination coverage.
Prior to this outbreak, the last measles-related death in the US occurred in 2015, when a woman in Washington state died from pneumonia caused by the virus while on immunosuppressive medication. The previous fatality was in 2003.
