Health officials in Texas and New Mexico are tracking measles outbreaks as cases rise to nearly 100 people.
Health officials in two US states are tracking measles outbreaks as cases rise to nearly 100 people.Â
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Friday that it was aware of 90 cases diagnosed in the last month in the South Plains area, in the north-west part of the state.
Measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. The outbreaks come amid a rise in US anti-vaccine sentiment, including towards the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab that is typically given during childhood.
Health officials in Texas say their figures are likely to be an underestimate, as some parents may not report infections or may not realise their child has the disease.
“It is troubling, because this was completely preventable,” Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University, told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner.
“It’s the most contagious infectious disease known to humans,” he added.
Symptoms of the highly-infectious illness include fever, cough, runny nose, eye irritation and a rash.
A measles infection can have particularly devastating complications for pregnant women and young children, including pneumonia, neurological impairment, hearing loss and death.
Survivors are at risk of developing a degenerative brain and nervous system disease known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).
In New Mexico, officials said nine people had become sick in Lea County, along the state’s eastern border with Texas.
