EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Mexico is experiencing a measles outbreak, and the northern border state of Chihuahua is at the epicenter.
Health Secretary Dr. David Kershenobich said 583 measles cases have been confirmed as of Tuesday, with 560 of those (96%) being reported in Chihuahua. One fatality has been confirmed so far. Earlier, state authorities earlier said most of patients were coming from the regional agricultural center of Cuauhtemoc and surrounding Mennonite camps.
“We are reinforcing our screening process and looking for more cases,” Kershenobich said at a Tuesday news conference in Mexico City broadcast on social media. He said only seven measles cases were confirmed in all of 2024.
He linked the outbreak to poor vaccination rates. So far, 542 of the confirmed cases (93%) involve unvaccinated individuals, with an almost equal number of men and women affected and with the largest group of patients (35.7%) being between the ages of 24 and 35. Children ages 1 to 4 make up the next highest cluster, at 13.9% of the total.
Kersenobich said health authorities are addressing the problem by urging people to identify the symptoms of the disease early and seek treatment. Also, Mexico on Saturday started a massive vaccination campaign nationwide. In the past four days, more than 26,000 people in Chihuahua have received immunizations.
Chihuahua is across the border from Texas and New Mexico. The three states see a large movement of people across borders due to trade and family ties.
In El Paso, the city government keeps a database of confirmed measles cases.
As of Tuesday, the City of El Paso Public Health dashboard showed 33 total cases with only one person currently hospitalized. Sixteen of those involved unvaccinated patients.
The regional uptick in measles was first reported in West Texas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 663 confirmed cases since January. Eighty-seven patients have been hospitalized since then. Seventeen new cases have been reported since April 25, the health department said on its website.
Measles is characterized by a rash made of large, flat spots or small raised bumps that usually starts on the face or neck.
It is caused by a virus that spreads through the air and settles on surfaces. Symptoms show up around 7 to 14 days after contact, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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