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State health officials on Friday reported 36 new cases of measles in the South Plains region, raising the number of confirmed cases since January to 259, with 34 patients hospitalized.
At least two people have died — an unvaccinated person in New Mexico and an unvaccinated child in Lubbock. The death in New Mexico was in Lea County. The county borders Gaines County, where the outbreak is centered.
Two of the confirmed measles cases are in vaccinated people, and the rest are unvaccinated, or their status was unknown.
Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.
(1/2) Get vaccinated today to protect yourself and your loved ones!
— City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (@SAMetroHealth) February 27, 2025
Vaccines available while supplies lasts. No appointment needed.
Visit https://t.co/FRgNbPPAlc to find the nearest pop-up clinic near you or call 210-207-8790.
Healthy People. Healthy Community. pic.twitter.com/M5YXep0Aag
Dr. Greg Poland, the chief strategy and innovation officer at Atria and president and co-director of the Atria Research Institute, said the severity of the virus is not stressed enough.
"We think of measles as a disease that can kill and cause disability," he said. "About one to three out of every 1,000 who get infected will end up dying. ... [O]nce you get measles, the only thing we can really offer is supportive care. There is no antiviral. There is nothing we can give that's going to reverse it, so ... make a wise decision now, before exposure."
Medical professionals like Poland have stressed the importance of getting the MMR vaccine since the outbreak began. Adults who are unsure of their vaccination status can request records from their primary care providers.
Also, the group Children at Risk held a recent press conference with health experts from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley to discuss the measles outbreak.
They all expressed the importance of vaccinations.
Dr. Michael Chang, a pediatric infectious disease physician at UT Health Houston, also explained why the first dose of the MMR vaccine is administered at 12 months.
"Now, parents may ask why infants less than 12 months don't receive MMR," he explained, "It's not a safety issue. The reason is because maternal antibodies may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine, but those maternal antibodies are not enough to protect from severe disease, so this vaccine is safe to give in baby six months to 12 months, if needed, but the extra dose doesn't count towards your routine series."
The vitamin A rumor
A new question swirling around the medical community is how effective is vitamin A at protecting someone from measles?
Health experts say vitamin A, despite what vaccine critics say, does not prevent measles.
It supports the human body’s natural defense system when fighting illnesses. But it does not prevent someone from contracting diseases, like measles, in the first place.
UT Health infectious disease expert Dr. Catherine Troisi explained that “moderate doses of vitamin A can be useful in treatment, but the better choice is to prevent measles from happening in the first place through vaccination.”
She emphasized that two doses of the measles shot is proven be 97% effective in preventing measles.
Taking in more vitamin A would only help someone avoid long-term symptoms if they contracted the disease.
Bonnie Petrie and Houston Public Media's Colleen Guzman contributed to this report.
