Texas measles outbreak nears 500 cases as of April 4. Here’s where it’s spreading.

The Texas measles outbreak that started in January has grown to 481 confirmed cases as of Friday, April 4, with at least 59 new infections this week.

The Texas Department of State Health Services says at least 56 people have been hospitalized, but there have been no additional deaths since one school-aged child who hadn’t been vaccinated died in February. (Update: A second child with measles in Texas died Thursday.)

Of the 481 measles cases, 157 have been in children 4 years old or younger, and 180 cases have been children ages 5 to 17 years old. Another 119 cases have been adults.

Nearly all of the patients were unvaccinated, though a total of 10 people have contracted measles after having received at least one dose of vaccine.

So far, the measles outbreak hasn’t spread closer to Fort Worth than one confirmed infection in Erath County, first reported Tuesday, April 1. Measles is a highly contagious virus whose symptoms can appear seven to 14 days after exposure. The most common symptoms are high fiver, cough, conjunctivitis and rash, with serious complications including ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis.

Nineteen counties in Texas have at least one confirmed measles case. Most of them are in the South Plains and Panhandle regions, though three counties are in Central and North Texas.

The epicenter of the outbreak remains in rural Gaines County, where 35 more people were infected this week. Roughly 1 in 71 people in Gaines County have contracted measles so far.

Tarrant County health authorities have warned that there’s a “high risk” of measles cases here due to lower vaccination rates. The virus is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are unvaccinated.

Texas counties with measles as of April 4, 2025

Here are the latest numbers by Texas county as of Friday, April 4, with any changes since Tuesday, April 1:

• Andrews: 1
• Brown: 1
• Cochran: 9 (up from 8)
• Dallam: 7
• Dawson: 20 (up from 14)
• Ector: 8 (up from 5)
• Erath: 1
• Gaines: 315 (up from 280)
• Garza: 2
• Hale: 3 (up from 1)
• Hockley: 3 (up from 2)
• Lamar: 11 (up from 10)
• Lamb: 1
• Lubbock: 33 (up from 27)
• Lynn: 2 (up from 1)
• Martin: 3
• Midland: 1
• Terry: 43 (up from 41)
• Yoakum: 17 (up from 16)

Nationally, the CDC is tracking six outbreaks and a total of at least 607 confirmed measles cases in 22 states. One death in New Mexico is under investigation.

How to prevent measles

Measles spreads in the air and can infect people in a room up to two hours after the sick person has left.

Texas health authorities say the best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of the vaccine, which is “highly effective.” It takes about 14 days to develop immunity.

Measles vaccination rates have dipped so low in Tarrant County that about one-third of elementary schools could not prevent an outbreak if a child came to school while infected, according to a Star-Telegram analysis of school vaccination data.

The vaccination rate among kindergartners in Tarrant County is around 91.5%. The ideal threshold to avoid cases of measles popping up is 95%.

This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 11:24 AM.

Matt Leclercq

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Matt Leclercq is senior managing editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He previously was an editor at USA Today in Washington, national news editor at Gatehouse Media in Austin, and executive editor of The Fayetteville (NC) Observer. He’s a New Orleans native.