© 2025 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KCTI-AM/FM is off-air due to damage from a lightning strike. We are working to restore service as quickly as possible.

Measles update: State reports West Texas outbreak has seen 422 cases since January

An infographic on the measles virus
Sara Diggins
/
Reuters
An infographic on the measles virus

Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.

The state health department reported 22 new cases of measles since last Friday's report. Forty-two of the patients have been hospitalized since the outbreak began in late January.

The highest number of cases is in Gaines County where the outbreak is centered. The county has 280 of the 422 cases.

The majority of the cases are in unvaccinated people, with only four of the cases being in people who have received at least two doses of the MMR vaccine.

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, which borders Gaines County.

Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.

The state's updates come every Tuesday and Friday.

TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.

Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio is a reporter for Texas Public Radio. She recently graduated from Texas State University with a major in journalism, minoring in women’s studies. She has previously worked as a photojournalist with The Ranger and has reported on Alzheimer’s and dementia in South Texas using public health data. Her main focuses include reporting on health as well as military and veterans issues. Alcorta-Solorio is a U.S. Army veteran.