Measles continues to spread in Texas as 22 more fall prey to infection in 48 hours

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Texas Health Department announced on Friday that measles cases in the southern US state have reached 146 since late January, with 22 new cases reported in the last 48 hours.

Twenty patients have been hospitalized as the highly contagious respiratory illness continues to spread, primarily affecting children and the unvaccinated, according to a health department statement.

The confirmed cases include 70 children aged 5 to 17, 46 children under the age of five, and 25 adults, it added.

The statement also revealed the patients' vaccination status, with 79 being unvaccinated and only five having received at least one dose of the measles vaccine.

Earlier on Wednesday, health officials confirmed that an unvaccinated school-aged child died of the disease after being hospitalized.

The outbreak originated in Gaines County in West Texas in late January, but health officials say most exposures are now occurring around San Antonio and San Marcos, approximately 643 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of the initial outbreak location.

Two unvaccinated adults who traveled from the outbreak area were also diagnosed with measles in Houston.

Measles spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes, with infectious droplets remaining airborne for up to two hours. Symptoms typically develop within one to two weeks after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.