Texas measles outbreak slows after major vaccine push

The rate of new measles infections in Texas has slowed as immunity to the virus builds and vaccinations rise.

Texas – the epicenter of the outbreak in the US this year – reported just one new measles infection on May 16, bringing the state’s total to 718 cases.

A large reason for the slowdown in cases is the increase in vaccinations for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, especially among infants after the state lowered the age for vaccination requirements, said Lubbock County’s public health director Katherine Wells.

The US has been grappling with a nationwide outbreak across 30 states, largely among unvaccinated people, with the majority of cases linked to the outbreak in Texas.

According to the Texas state health department, more than 320,000 residents have been given at least one dose of the MMR vaccine since the beginning of the year through April. That’s an increase of 15% from the year prior in the same time period.

It’s still incomplete data. Texas has an opt-in policy for the national vaccination registry, and the state says the majority of the population does not report its vaccination status.

Still some embers 

Measles is a highly contagious disease — 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to a positive infection will contract the virus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Texas outbreak was centered in Gaines county in the western part of the state among a largely unvaccinated Mennonite community. Wells said one reason cases have dipped there is that people there have contracted the virus already and have built up immunity.

But cases are increasing in El Paso, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services. El Paso has reported 52 total measles cases through May 16. The state said there needs to be 42 consecutive days with no reported measles case for the outbreak to be considered over.

“Compared to a forest fire, we are still seeing some embers,” Wells said. Lubbock is home to children’s hospitals that have served the Gaines population during the outbreak.

The Lubbock health office keeps a count of how many days since an infection was recorded on a white board. It’s now been four days since a positive case, the longest streak yet.

But the state says the total reported cases are likely an under count due to people declining a measles test or refusing to seek medical care.

Federal help

In the early weeks of the Texas outbreak, the state requested a team to help with communication efforts and contact tracing from the CDC. The CDC has sent two teams of seven since March. The second team finished their work on May 1, and the state has no plans to request additional assistance, according to a spokeswoman from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Wells said the CDC provided crucial help to Lubbock including providing expertise to local physicians and hospitals, local communications efforts and help with risk modeling.

Laboratory testing company Quest Diagnostics Inc. saw a 178% increase in US orders for measles tests and antibody tests between January 26 through late April. Texas was the biggest driver of orders, with a 200% increase since January, a spokesperson for the company said.

© 2025 Bloomberg

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