SAN ANTONIO – A measles outbreak is growing in a West Texas community with a high rate of opting out of vaccination requirements.
As of Tuesday, 24 cases have been identified in Gaines County, outside of Lubbock.
All of the people are unvaccinated, and most are school-aged children, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Below are the ages of each confirmed case:
- 0-4 years: 6
- 5-17 years: 16
- 18+ years: 2
Measles is a highly contagious virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to nine out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is a two-shot series: the first is recommended at 12 to 15 months old and the second between four to six years old.
Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw around 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, it’s usually fewer than 200 in a year.
The vaccine is one of several required to attend school in Texas, though the state allows exemptions for medical and conscientious reasons, including religion.
Bexar County schools appear to have higher vaccination rates among students, though it also varies by district or campus.
GAINES COUNTY
State statistics gathered for the 2023-2024 school year show 13.6% of Gaines County schoolchildren have a “conscientious exemption” to at least one required vaccine. Only Bell (18.8%) and Crosby (23.7%) reported higher rates.
The state numbers also show that Gaines County kindergarteners had an MMR coverage rate of 82%.
A 95% vaccination threshold is needed to protect against outbreaks.
The vaccination numbers are self-reported by public and private schools to the state and do not include homeschooled children.
Gaines County’s numbers appear to only be based on three public school districts, but a DSHS spokeswoman said most of the measles cases were in homeschool students or tied to an unaccredited private school.
BEXAR COUNTY
Bexar County has a much lower rate of conscientious objections (1.7%) and higher rate of MMR coverage among kindergarteners (94.4%).
Coverage can vary between school districts or individual schools, though.
The 70 Bexar County facilities listed in the state’s dataset for the 2023-2024 school year include entire public school districts as well as individual charter school or private school campuses.
- 43 districts or campuses reported at least a 95% coverage rate
- 26 districts or campuses reported a vaccination rate below 95%
- One campus, Promesa Academy, did not report a coverage rate.
- Bexar County schools reporting 100% MMR coverage were mostly private schools, except Fort Sam Houston ISD and Lackland ISD
- Country Day Montessori had the lowest MMR coverage for kindergarten students with 40%, which is the seventh lowest rate reported in the state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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