The western Texas measles epidemic is finished

A large outbreak of measles in Texas that hit 762 people is now over, according to an announcement on Monday by the Department of Texas state health services. The agency says that more than 42 days have passed since a new case was reported in any of the counties that have previously shown transmission tests in progress.

The epidemic contributed to the worst year for cases of measles in the United States in over 30 years. From 5 August, the most recent update of the Centers for the control and prevention of diseases, a total of 1,356 has confirmed the cases of measles have been reported throughout the country this year. For comparison, in 2024 there were only 285 cases of measles.

The outbreak of Texas began in January in a rural mennonite community with low vaccination rates. More than two thirds of the state reported cases were in children and two children in Texas died from the virus. Both were not vaccinated and had no basic conditions. During the epidemic, a total of 99 people were hospitalized, which represent 13 percent of cases.

Morbillo is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can temporarily weaken the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to secondary infections such as pneumonia. In rare cases, it can also lead to swelling of the brain and long -term neurological damage. It can also cause complications of pregnancy, such as premature birth and children with low birth weight. The best way to prevent disease is the measles vaccine, parotitis and rubella (MMR). A dose of the vaccine is 93 percent effective against measles while two doses are effective at 97 percent.

A measles outbreak is considered after 42 days if new cases are not discovered because it is double the maximum incubation period of the disease, the longest time that can take between when a person is exposed to the virus and when it develops symptoms.

The CDC defines a outbreak as three or more related cases. The western Texas epidemic has been connected to cases in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada.

While the Texas epidemic is finished, the cases of measles are still reported elsewhere in the country. According to the Disease prevention and control centerAnother 40 states have reported cases and a total of 32 US outbreaks were reported in 2025, compared to 16 outbreaks of 2024.

The outdoor outbreaks put the state of elimination of the country’s measles at risk. The designation means that there is no domestic widespread during Morbillo for more than 12 months. The United States reached this status in 2000 after years of increasing vaccination rates, but almost lost it in 2019, when the cases of measles crossed the Orthodox Jewish communities underestimated in New York for most of the year.

As vaccination rates continue to decrease in the United States, public health researchers warn that morbillo outbreaks and other diseases are likely. A recent Peer-Reviewed document has discovered that current state vaccination rates, measles could restore and become endemic again in the next two decades.