BROWNFIELD, Texas (AP) — The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said Tuesday, and 18 people are hospitalized.
The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in an area where small towns are separated by vast stretches of oil rig-dotted open land but connected due to people traveling between towns for work, church, grocery shopping and other day-to-day errands.
Brownfield Mayor Eric Horton, a Republican, said he believes in the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine because it has been used for so many years and has stopped measles from spreading in the U.S.
Brownfield is in Terry County, which has 21 cases.
“I’ve never seen it this close, ever,” Horton said. “I know that we’ve had a few outbreaks in years past but as far as right here, making national news, that is shocking.”
In neighboring eastern New Mexico, the measles case count stayed steady Tuesday at nine. State public health officials said last week there’s still no evidence New Mexico’s outbreak is connected to the one in Texas.
Measles is a highly contagious disease.
Where is measles spreading?
Tuesday’s count in West Texas went up by 34 cases since Friday. Cases continue to be concentrated in Gaines County, which has 80 infections, and Terry County, north of Gaines, where there are now 21.Seven other counties report cases of up to seven.
Texas health department data shows the vast majority of cases are among people younger than 18: 39 infections are in kids younger than 4 and 62 are in kids 5-17 years old. Eighteen adults have measles and five cases are “pending” an age determination.
State health officials have said this outbreak is Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years.
In New Mexico, all the cases are in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas. The state health department has said people may have been exposed at a grocery store, an elementary school, a church, Nor-Lea Hospital and a Walgreens in Hobbs, New Mexico.
