(Reuters) – The Texas Department of Health reported 624 measles cases in the state on Tuesday. This is an increase of 27 since April 18th as the United States is fighting one of the worst outbreaks of childhood illnesses.
The Gaines County lawsuit, the heart of the outbreak, rose to 386 from 371 reported Friday, the Texas Department of Health said.
During the outbreak, 64 patients were hospitalized in Texas, while two unvaccinated children with no underlying health conditions died from state measles.
The nearby New Mexico Department of Health reported 65 cases on Tuesday, up two since the last update. Most of the state’s cases come from Lee County, adjacent to Gaines County, Texas.
As of April 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported a total of 800 measles cases nationwide, spreading across 25 jurisdictions.
Dr. David Sugerman, CDC’s Viral Disease Division, said last week that the agency deployed 22 staff in Texas to respond to the outbreak and provided on-site technical assistance from March 4th to April 15th.
Sgelman also said that if it continues to occur after January 20, 2026, the US could be at risk of losing its measles exclusion situation.
Experts told Reuters in a statement on the lack of strong advocacy from government health authorities and unproven treatments that are confusing parents.
The national vaccination rate is below the 95% that is thought to be necessary to achieve so-called herd immunity.
According to the CDC, 96% of measles cases in the country were individuals who had not been vaccinated or had no status.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny of Bengaluru, edited by Leroy Leo and Devika Syamnath)
