At least four cases of measles, including two involving school-aged children, have been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, putting state health agencies on alert.
For some communities, this is the first case of measles in more than 20 years.
Laura Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the agency sent out an alert to health providers statewide once measles were confirmed to be found in two adult residents in Harris County last week.
The alert stated that both individuals reside in the same household and were unvaccinated against measles. These were the first confirmed cases of measles reported in Texas since 2023, when two were reported.
[…]
On Wednesday, the Lubbock Health Department also confirmed two measles case in the South Plains, involving school-aged children who were not vaccinated. Anton said the children were hospitalized and have since been discharged.
Katherine Wells, the Lubbock Health Department’s health director, said the one of the children was traveling with two other individuals who are not Lubbock County residents but live in nearby communities. Since Lubbock is the medical hub for the South Plains, they traveled to Lubbock for testing.
“We’re working with the South Plains Public Health District and our medical partners to work and identify where there could have been some community exposures,” Wells said. The state health agency is helping with the disease investigation in Lubbock and the South Plains region.
Wells said the community should be aware of the cases, as well as health care professionals who see rashes or high fevers from their patients.
“We want people to know there were some cases here,” Wells said. “So if they have concerns and are unvaccinated, call your health provider or the health department for more information.”
Wells said that the last measles case in Lubbock County was in 2004.
Austin Public Health has also sent an alert about the potential measles outbreak, urging residents to take proactive measures to protect themselves and their families. The last confirmed measles case in the city of Austin was in December 2019.
[…]
Other diseases considered long-forgotten are also now making a comeback.
Whooping cough is returning to pre-pandemic levels. Polio, another disease thought to be eradicated, was detected in New York State wastewater in 2022.
Vaccine proponents fear statewide disease trends will worsen as Texas lawmakers this legislative session try to weaken vaccine mandates and more families opt out of immunizations.
Since 2018, the requests to the Texas Department of State Health Services for an exemption form have doubled from 45,900 to more than 93,000 in 2024.
Lawmakers have filed more than 20 vaccination-related bills, including a House joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Texas Constitution to preserve Texans’ right to refuse vaccination.
See here for more on the Harris County cases. The two infected and unvaccinated children from Lubbock were hospitalized but have thankfully since been released. The more children that are or will be like them, the more likely they won’t be so lucky. I’ve reached out to my doctor to inquire about some boosters. Take whatever action you deem necessary for yourself.