Texas Faces Alarming Measles Outbreak: Nearly 500 Cases Linked to Day Care Centers

Six young children at a day care in Lubbock, Texas, have tested positive for measles, raising alarms about a growing outbreak. This is part of a larger trend, with cases reported in over a dozen states and Washington, D.C.

As of Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 481 measles cases, which is a 14% increase from the previous week. Fifty-six people have been hospitalized since the outbreak began in January.

At the Tiny Tots U Learning Academy, the outbreak started on March 24 when a girl fell ill and later needed hospitalization for pneumonia. The affected children, aged from 5 months to 3 years, were all unvaccinated.

Maegan Messick, co-owner of the day care, has been in touch with local health officials and the CDC but feels they are lacking clear guidance on managing the outbreak. “From what I’m being told, the CDC doesn’t have a playbook for this,” she said, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining safety in a facility with many vulnerable kids.

The U.S. is facing its largest measles outbreak in six years, but the CDC is not taking strong action. They have provided some vaccines to Texas health officials and issued alerts to doctors, but public briefings have been missing since 2019.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services did not comment on future briefings, especially in light of recent staff layoffs at the CDC. Cuts to community health funding have also affected vaccine clinics. For instance, Dallas County had to cancel over 50 planned clinics—many serving areas with low vaccination rates.

Recent statistics indicate that a total of 628 measles cases have been reported across the U.S. this year. Kansas has reported 23 cases, Oklahoma 10, and New Mexico 54, with Ohio confirming 17.

Public health officials are worried about more outbreaks in day care centers. Katherine Wells, Lubbock’s public health director, noted, “I think we’ll have additional outbreaks in other day care centers. This isn’t going to be the only one.”

In response to the outbreak, Tiny Tots Academy is closely monitoring symptoms and isolating classrooms. They are encouraging families to get the MMR vaccine and asking unvaccinated children to stay home for at least 21 days.

The CDC states that two doses of the MMR vaccine provide lifelong protection against measles. The first dose is typically given after a child’s first birthday, although it can be administered as early as six months.

“Right now, that’s the best we can do,” Messick said. “It’s coming. There’s no way around it.”

For more information on measles vaccination, you can visit the CDC’s official site here.

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