Texas measles cases rise to 481. Here is what you need to know.
The measles outbreak has spread hundreds of miles from its West Texas epicenter to now include Brown and Erath counties. Full Story
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A second Texas child has died from measles; RFK Jr. visits
About 500 Texans, mostly young unvaccinated children, have contracted the disease. The U.S. health secretary was in West Texas to visit the family. Full Story
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![People stand outside of a Mennonite church in Seminole after a funeral for an 8-year-old girl who died of measles on Sunday, April 6, 2025.]()
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Lubbock’s public health director fights to stop measles and build public trust
Katherine Wells was celebrated early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then public health became a political litmus test. Full Story
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![Director of Public Health Katherine Wells, MPH, looks through one of the vaccine logs that show who and when vaccines were given. Wells and her staff are working to stem the measles outbreak in the Lubbock area as well as throughout Texas. Wells was in the City of Lubbock Health Department Monday afternoon, Mar. 17, 2025.]()
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Health officials say federal cuts will hurt Texas’ measles response
Federal grants paid for workers to help with measles testing and vaccination in Lubbock and were going to help equip a Dallas lab to test for pathogens, including measles. Full Story
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![The City of Lubbock Health Department on Feb. 27, 2025.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Annie Rice
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Texas is poised to make measles a nationwide epidemic, public health experts say
Public health experts say Texas needs better messaging on vaccinations and quarantining and more people conducting contact tracing to contain the spread. Full Story
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![A sign donning measles information is posted outside of the office of Dr. Rumbidzai Mutikani, a pediatrician at the Hobbs Medical Clinic, as she works at her desk Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Hobbs, N.M.]()
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Parents of Texas child who died of measles stand by decision to not vaccinate
The measles vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective against the disease, which is highly contagious and can be life threatening. Full Story
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![Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock on Feb. 26, 2025. Covenant has added a patient screening check before entering the children's emergency entrance.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
With crumbling public health infrastructure, rural Texas scrambles to respond to measles
The measles outbreak in rural Texas has exposed how hospital buildings are ill-equipped. Meanwhile, long distances between providers makes testing people and transporting samples difficult. Full Story
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![A sign lets people know that measles vaccines are available in the Old City Hall in Andrews, Tx.]()
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West Texans, Mennonites at center of measles outbreak choose medical freedom over vaccine mandates
In rural West Texas, measles has sickened nearly 150 people, most of them unvaccinated. A school-age child has died. The virus is spreading among Gaines County’s Mennonite community, where government mandates are not trusted. Full Story
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![A child holds a man’s finger during a service at Community Church of Seminole on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Seminole.]()
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Texas officials still don’t know how West Texas measles outbreak started
Texas’ health commissioner fielded questions from state lawmakers about the outbreak and vaccine risks. Full Story
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![An Austin Public Health truck is decorated with an advertisement encouraging vaccinations while parked outside the Austin Public Health office at the Bergstrom Technology Center in Austin, Feb. 28, 2025.]()
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Texas leaders quiet amid the biggest measles outbreak in decades
Declining vaccination rates, decreasing trust in government and a political unwillingness to endorse vaccines is shaping Texas’ measles response. Full Story
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![Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock on Feb. 26, 2025. Covenant has added a patient screening check before entering the children's emergency entrance.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Who are the Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading?
The group is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches with varied beliefs and leadership structures — and with sometimes strained relations with authorities. Full Story
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![The Seminole Mennonite School on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Seminole.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
First death in West Texas measles outbreak is unvaccinated child
More than 120 people across nine counties have been infected during the largest Texas outbreak in 30 years. Full Story
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![A measles testing sign in Seminole on Feb. 25, 2025. An outbreak in Gaines County has spread to other parts of the state.]()
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Measles outbreak in West Texas worsens
Most of the infections have shown up in Gaines County. Texas health officials have consistently said that vaccination is the best way for people to avoid the highly contagious airborne disease. Full Story
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![An empty emergency room at Goodall-Witcher Hospital in Clifton on August 3, 2021.]()
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Measles cases reported in Texas as vaccine rate against the disease has fallen
Two of the four cases are in Lubbock, which hasn’t seen a case in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, measles vaccination rates in Texas have fallen over the last four years. Full Story
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![A vaccine vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) is pictured at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, Washington, on March 20, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson