Measles cases in Texas and New Mexico have surpassed all US cases recorded last year.
The CDC revealed a total of 294 cases had now been recorded in the outbreak since late January.
This is up 38 cases in the last three days, and above the total nationwide tally for 2024 when the US recorded 285 cases.
It is also the highest tally nationwide since 2019, when 1,274 measles cases were reported following an outbreak in an Orthodox Jewish community in New York.
So far, 34 patients have been hospitalized in Texas, and two deaths have also been reported — both in individuals who had not been vaccinated.
In Texas, 99.2 percent of patients — or 257 out of 259 — have not been vaccinated against the virus.
The CDC has said that the measles vaccine is the best way to avoid catching the virus, with the shot offered to everyone at age 12 months and four to six years.
The above shows Seminole, in the west of Texas, where the outbreak began in late January
Of the 259 cases in Texas, 174 are in Gaines County, at the center of the outbreak, up from 156 cases reported on March 11.
In a neighboring community in New Mexico, cases rose from 33 to 35 on Friday, including two cases in Eddy County and the rest in Lea County — which are adjacent to Gaines County.
There are also two suspected cases in Oklahoma in individuals who recently returned to the state from the center of the outbreak.
An unvaccinated child with no underlying health conditions died of measles in Texas in February, marking the first death in the U.S. from the disease since 2015. Another death of an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico is under investigation.
The Texas state health department classified 257 patients as ‘unvaccinated or unknown’ on Friday, which includes people with no documented doses of measles vaccine more than 14 days before symptoms appeared.
After additional investigation, it said that three cases were previously misclassified as vaccinated.
The growing outbreak is the first major challenge for U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic.
He released a statement highlighting the vaccine as a way to avoid infection, but has also received criticism for promoting other, less proven, treatments such as vitamin A tablets.
Measles is the most infectious disease in the world, with one patient capable of infecting nine out of 10 unvaccinated people they come into contact with.
However, the vaccine slashes the risk of developing the disease by 97 percent.
The infection is spread via respiratory droplets expelled via coughs and sneezes that can hang in the air for up to two hours.
The above graph shows the measles cases tally by year since 2000
The above is a stock image of a child infected with measles in the state
Infected patients first suffer from a fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat before developing the characteristic red rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body, including the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
Patients are typically treated with painkillers, but may also receive antibiotics if they develop an associated infection or Vitamin A if they show signs of being malnourished.
In severe cases, they may also need assistance breathing.
Overall, the US has now recorded 301 cases of measles this year across 14 states and three outbreaks.
In Texas, children and teenagers aged between five and 17 years old make up the majority of cases, followed by children under four years old.
More than 17.5 percent of parents of children starting kindergarten in Gaines County filed for an exemption to at least one vaccine last year, one of the highest rates in the state.
