A measles outbreak spreading across Texas and New Mexico has now infected over 370 people, with 327 cases in Texas and 43 in New Mexico as of March 25, 2025. Tragically, both states have reported at least one fatality linked to the outbreak (Reuters).
Public health officials warn that nearly all affected individuals were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status (Houston Chronicle). While measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, outbreaks have resurged in recent years, largely due to declining vaccination rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that a 95% vaccination rate is needed to maintain herd immunity, but some communities in Texas and New Mexico have fallen below this threshold (CDC).
This outbreak highlights an important economic concept: negative externalities—costs imposed on society by individual decisions. When people choose not to vaccinate, they don’t just put themselves at risk; they contribute to the spread of disease, increasing healthcare costs, lost productivity, and avoidable deaths. With measles being one of the most contagious viruses in the world, even small declines in vaccination rates can lead to widespread consequences (WHO).
While health officials work to contain the outbreak, this serves as yet another reminder that vaccination isn’t just a personal choice—it’s a public responsibility. If you or your family members haven’t received the MMR vaccine, now is the time to check your records and schedule an appointment.
3 comments:
This measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico is truly alarming and serves as a stark reminder of the critical role vaccines play in public health. It’s heartbreaking to see preventable illnesses making a comeback, especially when they can have such devastating consequences. The fact that nearly all affected individuals were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status underscores the urgency of maintaining high immunization rates.When people forgo vaccination, it doesn’t just affect them—it strains healthcare systems, disrupts communities, and puts vulnerable populations at risk
It is very upsetting to see hundreds of people getting infected and, even in some cases, dying from a disease that as you stated is easily preventable. Getting vaccinated is absolutely necessary to combat this and also truly crucial to healthcare costs and productivity, as you mentioned, which makes this sort of behavior feel even more inconsiderate and reckless. I feel like we’re already beginning to see people slacking on getting Covid-19 booster vaccines, only five years after the pandemic, and it shows. There have been so many recent spikes in outbreaks in the bay area alone and I’ve heard the spread is continuing throughout multiple states as well. I feel like there needs to be more attention placed on raising awareness of this and more encouragement to get vaccinated since it seems as though ever since people started not wearing masks and covid was no longer “trending”, the awareness and motivation of vaccinations has substantially decreased. In your case of measles, this is even less under the radar than covid, so that really demonstrates how pressing of an issue this is, given even Covid is already so far back in people’s minds. Overall, it’s just extremely crucial that we bring these topics to light again as they begin fading from people’s awareness.
It's disheartening to see preventable viruses being spread so widely, especially when we know the importance of vaccinations in preventing outbreaks. The outbreak highlights the dangerous consequences of declining vaccination rates, worsened by the Trump administration’s cuts to the CDC and public health programs. Withholding outbreak data and reducing funding for higher education research limits both the tracking of diseases and the development of effective responses. The economic burden of measles extends beyond healthcare costs—it affects workforce productivity, school attendance, and public trust in health systems. While vaccination remains a personal choice, it directly impacts community health, raising concerns about how weakened public health infrastructure will handle future epidemics.
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