Measles outbreak expands in West Texas around county with low vaccination rate

A measles outbreak is growing in a rural area of West Texas where vaccination rates are well below the recommended level.

A measles outbreak is growing in a rural area of West Texas where vaccination rates are well below the recommended level. In late January, two children in Gaines County were hospitalized for measles. On Wednesday, the state health department shared in a health alert that the number of confirmed cases had grown to six. As of Friday afternoon, the outbreak has jumped to 14 confirmed cases and six probable cases among people who are symptomatic and had close contact with infected individuals, Zach Holbrooks, executive director of the South Plains Public Health District, told CNN. Investigations are ongoing, as cases have been identified in parts of the region that are outside the Gaines County lines where the first cases were reported. All the cases are believed to be among people who are not vaccinated against measles, Holbrooks said, and most of them are in children. A record share of US kindergartners had an exemption for required vaccinations last school year, leaving more than 125,000 new schoolchildren without coverage for at least one state-mandated vaccine, according to data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October.