Texas health officials on Monday declared the measles outbreak that began in West Texas earlier this year is now over after more than 700 cases were confirmed.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said that as of August 18, 762 measles cases were confirmed since January, with the majority of infections occurring in children and most cases involving people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination statuses.
Two deaths occurred in unvaccinated school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area, marking the first U.S. measles death in more than a decade.
“The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting the end of this year’s measles outbreak centered in West Texas. It has been more than 42 days since a new case was reported in any of the counties that previously showed evidence of ongoing transmission,” DSHS said in a statement.
The start of the outbreak was linked to a Mennonite community of the South Plains region of Texas among whom vaccination rates are low. In Gaines County, where many of early cases were reported, almost half of all students had exemptions from vaccines.
“I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses. We arrived at this point through a comprehensive outbreak response that included testing, vaccination, disease monitoring and educating the public about measles through awareness campaigns,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford.
Measles is one of the most infectious airborne, respiratory diseases. One infected individual can potentially infect up to 9 out of 10 people they come in contact with if they are not protected. While there are no antivirals specifically indicated for measles, a complete two-dose schedule of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing measles.
The outbreak was seen as an early test for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long disparaged MMR vaccines. Despite his criticisms, Kennedy acknowledged the benefits of measles vaccines during the outbreak, writing in an op-ed that they “not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity.”
