Texas Measles Outbreak Update (2/25/25)

The outbreak continues to grow and may have potentially spread outside of the area

Updates on the numbers from West Texas

• 124 confirmed cases in west Texas

• 18 people hospitalized so far

• Children ages 5-17: 62 cases

• Children ages 4 and under: 39 cases

• Adults: 22 cases

• Almost all cases were unvaccinated, but there were 5 cases that were vaccinated (4% of total). This is not surprising that there will be some breakthrough cases because one dose of MMR vaccine confers 93% protection and two doses is 97% protection.

Hundreds of thousands may have been exposed to measles in San Antonio area

A person from the outbreak area who was later diagnosed with measles visited several locations in San Marcos and San Antonio From Feb 14-16. Here is the timeline:

Friday, Feb. 14

• 3 to 7 p.m. – Texas State University, San Marcos

• 6 to 10 p.m. – Twin Peaks Restaurant, San Marcos

Saturday, Feb. 15

• 10 a.m to 4 p.m. – University of Texas at San Antonio Main Campus

• 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and Ripley’s Illusion Lab, San Antonio

• 6 to 10 p.m. – Mr. Crabby’s Seafood, Live Oak

Sunday, Feb. 16

• 9 a.m. to 12 noon – Buc-ee’s, New Braunfels

Measles can survive for up to 2 hours, so the times are longer than the person who was at those locations. Symptoms can start between 7-21 days after an exposure, so people need to be aware that symptoms can take time to develop after exposure.

Illness onset (high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes) begins a week or two after someone is exposed. A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. A person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People with measles should stay home from work or school during that period.

If you were in those areas and start experiencing a fever and rash, you need to speak with your doctor about testing for measles.

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