(Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
New Mexico health officials are checking New Mexico residents for possible exposure to measles, following two cases reported in Gaines County, Texas, which borders Lea County. Officials say the two cases raise concerns for people traveling across state lines, and encouraged residents to confirm they and their children have been vaccinated.
“Measles spreads easily and can linger in the air for hours after a person infected has left a room,” DOH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Miranda Durham said in a statement. “The Texas cases highlight the importance of making sure you and your children are up-to-date on the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.”
The vaccine is highly effective, with adults vaccinated as children having enough immunity to last a lifetime, according to health officials.
The symptoms of measles can appear anywhere from a week to three weeks after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a red spotty rash starting on the head and face and spreading over the body.
The most recent cases documented in New Mexico occurred in May 2024 and included two unvaccinated children, living in the same household in Taos County, who contracted measles after international travel.
The U.S. officially eliminated measles in 2000 after decades of vaccination brought down cases from the hundreds of thousands to a handful only when contracted traveling abroad. Pockets of unvaccinated people can face outbreaks. The occurrence of outbreaks has been increasing, with more than 286 cases in 31 states and Washington D.C. recorded in 2024.
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