Who is at High Risk?
The measles outbreak in western Texas has reached 481 cases, mostly among unvaccinated or unknown-status individuals, officials reported Friday.
The State Health Services of Texas confirms all measles reported cases belong to patients who are not vaccinated or have undeclared vaccination status. Forty-one medical facilities have admitted patients from the outbreak thus far.
According to recorded data, teenagers and children from 5 to 17 years old constitute 164 cases, while children 4 years old and below make up 131 cases.
National Measles Trends
CDC officials have verified a total of 483 measles cases during 2019 across nineteen states, namely Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
The reported number of cases probably represents an underreporting issue because states provide delayed transmissions to the federal health agency.
Vitamin A and Measles Treatment Concerns
Drinking a solution of Vitamin A has been noticed in unvaccinated kids who require hospitalization for measles infections in Texas.
1/ DSHS continues to track the measles outbreak in the South Plains and Panhandle.
— Texas DSHS (@TexasDSHS) April 4, 2025
As of today, 481 cases have been identified since late January.
Immunization with two doses of MMR vaccine protects you from getting sick and stops the outbreak from spreading. pic.twitter.com/6u3BYh2gl6
Vitamin A promotion during the measles outbreak has been widely supported by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., together with other vaccine skeptics.
During an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity earlier this month, the Secretary of Health and Human Services stated their organization gave vitamin A to treat measles patients because the substance significantly reduces death rates from the disease.
When treating measles patients, vitamin A serves as supportive therapy because the World Health Organization advises giving two vitamin A doses to restore vitamin A levels according to medical guidelines, thus preventing eye complications and blindness.
The use of vitamin A neither stops measles infections nor fights the virus during its treatment, according to expert opinions presented to ABC News.
When examining measles cases, the CDC shows that 1% of patients received one MMR dose, but 2% came from patients who got both necessary doses.
The statement by Covenant Children’s Hospital reported that some parents are giving vitamin A to their unvaccinated kids for both prevention and treatment of measles. Some of those children now show signs of vitamin A toxicity.
Covenant Children’s reports that routine lab tests found abnormal liver function in less than 10 patients who might have developed vitamin A toxicity.
The number of measles cases has risen to 481, a jump of 59 since Tuesday, as the historical outbreak continues to spread across West Texas, according to state officials on Friday.
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) April 4, 2025
Of those, 56 patients have been hospitalized. https://t.co/1R5V0Sghj0
Elevated vitamin A consumption leads to vitamin A toxicity, which produces numerous serious medical conditions affecting the human liver system workings and kidney operations.
Importance of Vaccination in Measles Prevention
The American Academy of Pediatrics, together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, supports vaccines as being the safest method to prevent measles.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that individuals should receive two vaccine doses during specific age intervals, starting from 12 to 15 months up to 4 and 6 years old. Medical experts at the CDC state that one vaccine dose provides 93% protection, whereas two doses lead to 97% protective effectiveness. Vaccinated adults generally do not need additional vaccine doses.
Health data indicates that Gaines County has witnessed a major increase in vaccine exemptions since the beginning of the last decade at its Texas outbreak center.
The 2013 kindergarten data showed that about 7.5 percent of the students had at least one vaccine exemption filed by their parents or guardians. State health data reveals Gaines County has now reached a vaccine exemption of more than 17.5%, which stands among the highest figures in Texas.
The CDC confirmed that 97% of all nationally reported cases belong to individuals who were unvaccinated or whose vaccine status remains unidentified, according to agency reports.