Texas declares end to measles outbreak

SEMINOLE, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 27: Signs point the way to measles testing in the parking lot of the Seminole Hospital District across from Wigwam Stadium on February 27, 2025 in Seminole, Texas. Eighty cases of measles have been reported in Gaines county with one death reported. — The virus 'ripped through the community' until it 'ran out of vulnerable people to infect'

(Image credit: Jan Sonnenmair / Getty Images)

What happened

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Monday officially declared an end to the state's deadly measles outbreak, though the vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada. The Texas outbreak, centered in western Gaines County, led to the deaths of two unvaccinated children and an unvaccinated man in New Mexico.

Texas quashed the virus "through a comprehensive outbreak response" including "testing, vaccination, disease monitoring" and education, said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford. It was a "bittersweet" victory for local officials as it "did not appear to end" because of a surge in vaccinations, The New York Times said. Rather, it "seemed that the virus had ripped through the community" until it "ran out of vulnerable people to infect."

With 1,356 confirmed cases nationwide, the U.S. is "having its worst year for measles in more than three decades, as childhood vaccination rates against the virus decline," The Associated Press said. At least 718 of the 762 confirmed cases in Texas were in patients "who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccine status," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said.

"The end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over," the Texas health department said. Along with the U.S. cases, an outbreak in Mexico linked to Gaines County has "ballooned to 3,854 cases and 13 deaths," and Canada has about 4,000 cases, the AP said. "It only just takes a traveler" coming into a susceptible community "to start a new outbreak," said Director of Lubbock Public Health Katherine Wells.

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.