An outbreak of measles has been confirmed in Gaines County, West Texas, with 15 cases reported, mostly in school-aged children. The county has one of the highest rates of vaccine exemptions in the state. Health officials are investigating the cases, some of which appear to be connected to private religious schools in the area. A vaccination clinic has been set up to help contain the outbreak, which comes amid a rising trend of measles cases in the U.S. Law allows children to get exemptions for vaccines based on conscience, resulting in a high rate of unvaccinated school-aged children in Gaines County.
The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is a two-shot series recommended for children, but vaccination rates have declined overall since the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers are proposing changes to vaccination requirements as anti-vaccine activism persists. The highly contagious measles virus can survive in the air for up to two hours and up to 90% of susceptible individuals exposed to it can get infected. Health officials are closely monitoring the situation and urging vaccination to prevent further spread. Measles cases have been reported in other parts of Texas and the U.S., underscoring the need for vaccination to protect communities from outbreaks of this once-common disease.
Source
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
