Civil servants have confirmed the first measles-related death in West Texas, so that the first state is marked in the state in more than ten years.
Spokesperson Melissa Whitfield, spokesperson for Texas Tech University Health Sciences, confirmed death on Wednesday and an official of public health said in a statement that it was a resident of Gaines County who died in a hospital in Lubbock.
There is no information about the age or gender of the victim.
The Texas Health Department confirmed that the reported goods reached at least 124 from 25 February. In general, 18 people were hospitalized.
Officials said that 62 cases in children between five and 17 and 39 are in toddlers of four years and younger.
Only five of those infected have been vaccinated with measles (MMR) vaccine. The majority has not been vaccinated or their vaccination status is unknown.
The death marks the first in Texas since at least 2012 and the last available information shows that no measles have taken place in the past two years.
The ongoing outbreak of measles in West -Texas has reached no fewer than 124 cases, making it the largest cluster in the state in the past three decades
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. The virus is transferred by direct contact with infectious drops or by spreading in the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.
The disease causes small white spots in the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, ear infections and an intense fever.
In extreme cases, the disease can cause pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and can lead to death.
The outbreak is the largest in the state in almost 30 years and is concentrated in what the Texas Department of State Health Services called a close, undervalued 'Mennonite community-a Christian cult that has historically shown the hesitation of vaccin.
It has also spread to New Mexico, with nine cases that are currently confirmed.
The epicenter was previously reported that it is in Gaines County in the Westen-Central Texas, which had reported 80 confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, Terry County has things 21 in the north, Dawson County has seven, Yoakum County has five, Martin County has three, Ector County has two and Lubbock and Lynn Counties each have a business.
Gaines County, with a population of only 21,598, has one of the highest percentages of vaccine exemptions in the state and all confirmed cases are in non -vaccinated people.
Cold -like symptoms, such as fever, cough and a runny nose or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles
Dr. Lara Johnson is a pediatrician and the Chief Medical Officer in Covenant Children's Hospital in Texas
The measles vaccine (MMR) is 97 percent effective as the prevention of the virus and is required for children to go to school, but some states allow exemptions based on religious reasons, including Texas.
Throughout the country, the percentage of Children looking for exemptions has risen Over the past decade, from 0.76 percent in 2014 to 3.3 percent during the 2023-2024 school year.
According to the CDC, the vaccination coverage among toddlers fell for all shots in 2024 – to 93 percent for MMR.
In the meantime, the Texas Department of Human and Health Services reports 91 percent of the children received the MMR shot, which is under the ideal vaccination rate.
Ninety-four percent coverage is considered the standard for herd immunity.
Dr. Lara Johnson, pediatrician and chief medical officer in the Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, said she saw the first measles store in her community about a month ago.
Now she warns that this is just the start of the outbreak and 'we will see much more disease in the coming months with non -vaccinated children. '
Dr. Johnson revealed that most young patients are admitted to hospital for breathing difficulties and need additional oxygen, while others have a very high fever that can be fatal in young children.
The majority of patients have not been vaccinated or their vaccination status remains unknown
She wrote for Business Insider: 'Two doses of the measles vaccine [given at 12 to 15 months and again between 4 and 6 years] Avoid 97 percent of the cases of measles. '
With the outbreak that spreads in Texas, she says it is best to keep vulnerable children from the supermarket and busy places as much as possible 'and' If you are worried about your baby, call your pediatrician. '
From her experience Dr. says Johnson that parents of vaccinated children should not worry too much because they are 'very unlikely to get it'.
But for parents of non -vaccinated children, she says that the meaningful sign of the virus is a result that starts on the face.
She also said it is not too late for children to get a vaccine – even after exposure.
One contaminated person can spread the infection to 12 to 18 other people in a non -vaccinated population.
