This story was first printed by El Paso Issues, a nonprofit information group.
EL PASO — Seventeen measles circumstances have been reported in El Paso, together with 13 on the Camp East Montana Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention middle, well being officers stated Thursday.
The circumstances on the ICE detention middle are exterior the town’s jurisdiction and reported via federal authorities, the El Paso Division of Public Well being stated in a information launch. Metropolis well being officers are coordinating with federal companions and have offered testing help and vaccines for prevention efforts, the discharge states.
Earlier this month, two circumstances of tuberculosis and 18 circumstances of COVID-19were recognized on the ICE detention facility, which is positioned on Fort Bliss.
The 4 new measles circumstances within the metropolis of El Paso contain a person in his 20s, a person in his 30s and two ladies of their 30s, all with unknown vaccination standing.
The division recognized a number of areas the place potential exposures might have occurred between Feb. 20 and Feb. 22, together with Cielo Vista Mall, Del Sol Medical Heart, the Outlet Shoppes at El Paso, Goal Bassett and a number of eating places. People who visited these websites and develop signs corresponding to fever or rash ought to contact a well being care supplier.
Public well being officers have begun contact tracing and are working with neighborhood companions to forestall additional unfold of the virus.
Measles spreads via coughing and sneezing and might stay within the air for as much as two hours after an contaminated particular person leaves an space. The sickness sometimes begins with fever, cough, runny nostril and crimson eyes, adopted by a rash that spreads from the pinnacle downward.
Though about 98% of El Paso County residents are vaccinated in opposition to measles, officers say unvaccinated or under-vaccinated people stay at highest threat.
A neighborhood wants an immunization price above 95% to forestall the unfold of measles, based on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. The MMR, or measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, is without doubt one of the required immunizations for Texas schoolchildren.
El Paso kindergarteners noticed an uptick in MMR immunization final faculty yr and El Paso County as an entire contrasts different main counties in Texas the place vaccination charges have fallen under the herd immunity threshold.
El Paso had not had a measles outbreak since 1990 till six circumstances had been reported at El Paso and Fort Bliss in 2019.
Final yr, El Paso noticed 59 circumstances when Texas skilled its worst measles outbreak in practically 30 years, based on the state well being division’s knowledge.
The West Texas measles outbreak unfold to El Paso in April 2025 and likewise crossed into neighboring Ciudad Juárez. Greater than 750 circumstances had been reported in Texas and greater than 4,500 circumstances had been reported in Chihuahua. Texas well being authorities declared the state’s outbreak over in August 2025, whereas Mexican well being authorities declared the nation’s outbreak over in February of this yr.
Younger adults had been among the many most affected within the earlier native outbreak, and the present circumstances additionally contain individuals in that age group. Residents with unknown vaccination historical past are inspired to obtain a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which gives about 97% safety after two doses.
Signal Up for SA Present newsletters.
Observe us: Apple Information | Google Information | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Fb | Twitter | Or join our RSS Feed
Associated Tales
‘Within the curiosity of public well being and security, Dilley needs to be shut down instantly,’ the San Antonio Democrat stated in a Monday tweet.
At school districts and constitution networks with probably the most vaccine delinquencies, as many as 44% of kindergarteners weren’t complying with state necessities.
The CDC is now treating the measles circumstances in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico as a single outbreak.
