The measles outbreak that’s sickened hundreds and killed two young girls since January appears to be slowing in West Texas as the virus runs out of people to infect.
On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported a total of 702 measles cases, an increase of 19 since the agency’s last update on Friday.
Ninety-one people have been hospitalized since the beginning of the outbreak. About two-thirds were kids.
But for the second week in a row, no children are hospitalized with the virus in West Texas, said Katherine Wells, the public health director for the city of Lubbock, located at the epicenter of the outbreak.
“I’m hopeful that things are slowing down,” Wells said.
Still, she and others who’ve been on the front lines of the outbreak were cautious.
“I don’t think it’s over, but I do think it’s beginning to taper a little bit now,” said Dr. Lara Johnson, a pediatrician and chief medical officer at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock. “That could change tomorrow.”
Measles is so contagious, Johnson said, it can easily infiltrate vulnerable, mostly unvaccinated, communities. At this point, she said, it seems the virus has made its way through many West Texas communities with low vaccination rates.
“Outbreaks burn themselves out,” Johnson said. “Everyone who’s susceptible in the community becomes not susceptible, either because they have the illness, or perhaps they choose to vaccinate.”
Doctors on the ground said there’s been a slight uptick in people choosing to get themselves or their children vaccinated. Others have been convinced to stay home while contagious to prevent further spread.
Mostly, however, measles has likely run out of people to infect among the vulnerable population.
Even as the outbreak slows in West Texas, it’s growing elsewhere.
As of Tuesday, there were 987 measles cases nationwide, according to an NBC News tally of state health departments. It’s the largest number of measles cases since 2019, when more than 1,200 cases were reported, driven by an outbreak in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York.
Most of the current cases are related to international travel. Montana and North Dakota are now reporting eight and four cases, respectively.
But some of the outbreaks in other states are linked directly to cases in West Texas.
Fifty-seven measles cases, including one death in an adult, have been reported in New Mexico. Health officials in Kansas report 46 cases, and 17 have been reported in Oklahoma.
It’s almost certain that reported illnesses are a vast underestimate of the true number of measles cases, experts say.
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