In rural West Texas, a measles outbreak grows with no end in sight
In rural West Texas, a measles outbreak grows with no end in sight
At least 49 cases have been confirmed. Health officials — who are scrambling to get a handle on the vaccine-preventable outbreak — suspect 200 to 300 people may be infected.
Summary
A measles outbreak in rural West Texas has surged to 49 confirmed cases, mostly among unvaccinated school-age children, with officials suspecting hundreds more unreported infections.
The outbreak is centered in Gaines County, home to a large Mennonite population with low vaccination rates. Despite CDC support, Texas has not requested federal intervention.
The outbreak has now spread to Lubbock, raising wider public health concerns.
Experts warn it could persist for months without increased vaccination efforts, but skepticism toward vaccines remains a significant barrier.
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MOSTLY unvaccinated? How many vaccinated people got the measles?
Vaccines aren't 100% effective, the way they work is mostly through herd immunity, where an epidemic effectively peters out due to lack of viable hosts. Depending on the infectiousness of the pathogen, a +90% vaccination rate is usually enough to keep an infection from breaking through.
Two doses of the measles vaccine are approximately 97% effective at preventing measles. Certainly not 100%, but not too shabby.
herd immunity
What is especially irritating is that the conspiracy theorists latch onto this terminology as "proof" that the "globalists" view you as a herd animal...
Another unfortunate thing is how the term "theory" in a scientific sense is very different from the layperson's use of that word...
Immunity wanes over time. There's probably adults getting it.
Well for crying out loud... That's me. I don't live in Texas but I live in the next worst state, Florida. Is there a booster?
Ask your doctor for the MMR vaccine. Iirc you are more likely to get side-effects as an adult, but that beats getting measles.
I redid my entire childhood vaccinations at age 40 because my small home town had no records and I needed proof - to like, look after sick people. No problems, no side effects.
You can get MMR at travel clinics around here. So it cost me like $15 to avoid even needing to ask a doctor.
Sigh.