As of mid-March 2025, over 300 cases of measles have been reported across Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, marking the largest outbreak in years.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that the outbreak began in late January, primarily affecting the South Plains and Panhandle regions. The virus has since spread, resulting in 36 hospitalizations and two fatalities: a school-aged child in Texas and an adult in New Mexico, both unvaccinated.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world. An infected person can spread it to 90% of unvaccinated individuals nearby, with complications including pneumonia, encephalitis, and death. Health officials emphasize that a 95% vaccination rate is necessary to achieve herd immunity.

The outbreak has prompted a wave of misinformation and skepticism. In the wake of Midland’s first case of measles, I took to a well-populated local Facebook group called WTF Odessa? to find out what Midlanders and Odessans know.

Lets address the most popular comments:

“Measles outbreak started in the minonite [sic] community.”

This is true. The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed that the outbreak began within the Mennonite community, where vaccination rates are notably low due to religious beliefs and skepticism toward government health mandates.

“Appears to be less cases this year than last year.”

The data tells a different story:

Year	Reported Cases
2020	13
2021	49
2022	121
2023	59
2024	285
2025	301 (as of 03/20/2025)

Measles cases in the Southwest have already exceeded last year’s total cases, and we’re only three months in. At the same time last year, there were only 64 cases.

“When did 400 cases become an outbreak? Why is the media trying to push a scare tactic?”

An outbreak is defined as the occurrence of disease cases in excess of normal expectancy in a particular area. The number of cases required to declare an outbreak depends on the disease, its transmission, and historical data—not an arbitrary threshold.

The U.S. eliminated measles in 2000, meaning that any sustained domestic transmission is a public health concern.

“Vitamin A is an excellent treatment.”

This is technically true. ​Vitamin A supplementation is recognized as a supportive treatment for measles, particularly in individuals with vitamin A deficiency. Administering vitamin A to measles patients can reduce the severity of the disease and lower the risk of complications. However, it’s important to note that vitamin A does not prevent measles infection. The primary preventive measure remains vaccination with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

“Do research into covid booster takers in relation to number of measles cases that would be interesting if numbers are similar [sic]”

Currently, there is no evidence to suggest a direct correlation between COVID-19 vaccination rates and measles. Measles outbreaks are predominantly linked to low MMR vaccination coverage. Most cases of measles acquired during this current outbreak (95%) are in individuals who are unvaccinated.

“I didn’t even know I had lost my immunity to it until I had unrelated testing for blood clots. I wonder how many people are unaware of their immunity…”

Immunity testing is not routine, and many may unknowingly be at risk if their childhood vaccinations have weakened over time. Measles titer tests can confirm immunity but are often expensive and not covered by insurance. For most adults, getting an additional MMR booster is a simple and safe solution.

And finally:

“There’s real issues that you can write about but here you are feeding into a yearly disease that’s treatable and not at all serious I have an article from 1962 about measles it’s not any different than now stop being brainwashed [sic]”

This is only a snippet of this person’s comment, and I could have used this entire article to fact check all the claims they made, but the general gist is enough.

It is technically true that measles has existed for centuries, but before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, it caused millions of infections and hundreds of deaths per year in the U.S. Vaccination has drastically reduced these numbers.

Many of these comments reflect a growing mistrust of medical institutions fueled by online conspiracy theories and disinformation. There is no scientific evidence to support claims that vaccines are intentionally harmful or that the measles vaccine is part of a profit-driven agenda. The MMR vaccine has been extensively studied and is 97% effective at preventing measles. ​

Disinformation is dangerous, and has led to people rejecting life-saving medications.

“Unfortunately, people think science is a matter of opinion and not fact these days lmaoooo. We’re such an embarrassing state and country tbh. [sic]”

This frustration is widely shared among scientists and public health professionals. The politicization of science and medicine has real-world consequences. This outbreak has claimed lives.

Science operates on empirical evidence, peer-reviewed research, and reproducible results. Scientific understanding does evolve, but it does so through rigorous study.

The U.S. has one of the highest rates of vaccine skepticism among “developed” nations, with Texas being among the states with the most vaccine exemptions.

This outbreak serves as a stark reminder of what happens when scientific consensus is ignored.