DALLAS — The Texas measles outbreak has surpassed 250 cases, with a new county added to the list, the state reported Friday.
Health officials said 259 measles cases have been identified since late January, up from the 223 cases reported earlier this week. Thirty-four patients have been hospitalized and one school-age, unvaccinated child has died.
Three months in, Texas has already reported more measles cases in 2025 than in any other full year since 1992.
The outbreak began in Gaines County, near the New Mexico border. At 174 cases, it is still home to the vast majority of patients. Terry County, which is north of Gaines County, follows at 36 cases.
Lamar County, which sits roughly 100 miles northeast of Dallas, was added to the list Thursday, with four cases reported in people ranging from 5 months to adulthood. Paris-Lamar County Health District officials said the four infected patients, who were not vaccinated, had traveled to Gaines County.
Texas' count does not include cases in New Mexico, which borders Gaines County. On Friday, that state reported 35 measles cases and one death connected to the outbreak.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world and spreads rapidly among unvaccinated people.
Of the 259 cases in Texas, 257 were in people who were either unvaccinated, or whose vaccination status was unknown, according to the state health department.
The two-dose MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing the illness, which means vaccinated people are unlikely to catch the virus.
Health experts recommend the first dose be administered to babies between 12 and 15 months old, with the second dose administered when the child is 4 to 6 years old.
