Measles cases in Texas, New Mexico rise to 351, state health departments say

By Bhanvi Satija and Sneha S K

(Reuters) -Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico rose to 351 on Friday, the health departments of the states said, an increase of 34 infections since their last reports three days ago, as the United States deals with one of the largest measles outbreaks in the past decade.

The number of cases in the two states has already surpassed last year’s count of 285 infections nationwide, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Measles has risen in correlation with declining childhood vaccination rates. "Overall vaccination coverage for measles has dropped below 95%, particularly in states that have vaccine exemptions such as Texas," said Richard Reithinger, distinguished research fellow at nonprofit research institute RTI International.

Cases in Gaines County, Texas, the center of the outbreak, rose to 211 from 191 as of March 18, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. Hospitalizations in the state rose to 40 from 36, it said.

The Texas health department said it has classified 307 patients as "unvaccinated or unknown," which includes people with no recorded doses of measles vaccine more than 14 days before they started showing symptoms.

In New Mexico, cases rose to 42 from 38 on Tuesday, including two cases in Eddy County and the rest in Lea County, which borders Gaines County.

The CDC said that, as of March 20, a total of 378 confirmed measles cases were reported by 18 jurisdictions including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The CDC figures do not reflect the update from Texas and New Mexico on Friday.

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The agency added that 90% of confirmed cases reported in 2025 are outbreak-associated compared to 69% of cases in 2024.

The CDC has said that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is the most important tool for preventing measles.

In a health advisory to doctors on March 7, the CDC said that the risk for widespread measles in the United States remained low.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has for years sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of immunization, said last month that he recognizes the serious impact of the current measles outbreak in Texas and said the government is providing resources, including vaccines.

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