💡 What’s Happening?
This back-to-school season is bringing more than students back to the classroom; Texas is also facing another measles outbreak. A new generation of school-aged children is contracting one of the world’s most contagious diseases, with most cases occurring among those who are unvaccinated.
For hospitals and the healthcare system, every preventable case can trigger a resource-intensive response, from isolating patients and protecting healthcare workers to coordinating with public health officials to limit further spread. And as cornerstones of Texas’ public health infrastructure, hospitals are taking on the preventable consequences of declining vaccination rates, misinformation and eroding public trust.
🤕 Measles Really Is That Bad
So far this year, there are 190 total cases of measles reported in Texas, the third-highest total in the nation. Last year’s outbreak sickened 762 people primarily in West Texas, where 91% of hospitalizations were youth under the age of 18 and nearly 56% were under the age of four. Among hospitalized adults, 80% were pregnant women in their final trimester. Pneumonia was the most common complication. Every reported case occurred in someone who was unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.
The measles vaccine is about 97% effective after two doses and helped eliminate endemic measles in 2000 in the U.S. after reaching a national high in 1992. Only after vaccination rates for measles dropped below the 95% threshold required for herd immunity – Texas kindergartners have been below this rate since 2022, and last year’s group reached an average low of 93% – did measles begin to make a resurgence. As immunization rates decline, opportunities for outbreaks increase, particularly in schools and other settings where people gather closely.
“Bergen quickly realized that the illness was like nothing his kids had had before. One son was so pained by sunlight that his father covered the windows in black plastic. Another went limp. ‘He couldn’t even drink water at night by himself,’ Bergen recalled. … Soon, one-third of the student body was out sick. Peters suspended classes, but the virus had already moved beyond his schoolyard. ‘It was a matter of, I think, three or four weeks, and all the schools around had measles,’ he recalled. They shut down, too.
…And the toll of the outbreaks may yet increase. The measles virus can result in long-term damage, including a weakening of children’s immune systems. In rare cases, it can provoke brain or nervous-system damage long after the initial infection.”
CNN: A measles outbreak crossed into Mexico from Texas. A larger tragedy followed
“Internal medicine physician Dr. David Winter with Baylor Scott & White says measles spreads with extraordinary ease. … ‘If a child gets the measles, about a third of them will get very, very sick. Very sick,’ Winter said. ‘The death rate can be up to 5-10% in kids.’ …Dallas ISD’s MMR vaccination rate for kindergarteners was about 82 percent, while Denton, Celina, and LoveJoy ISDs were all below 90 percent.”
CBS News: North Texas doctors warn parents amid rising measles cases
🔎 How Did We Get Here?
Parents today are navigating an increasingly complex information environment. While decades of scientific evidence continue to support the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, misinformation has made it harder for many families to distinguish credible medical guidance from false or misleading claims. As confidence in public health institutions and medical expertise declines, some families delay or forgo vaccination altogether.
The effects extend well beyond individual decisions. Lower vaccination rates weaken community protection for infants, immunocompromised individuals and others who cannot be vaccinated. Measles patients require isolation, contact tracing and specialized infection control which pulls staff time, bed capacity and clinical resources away from other patients. Preventing outbreaks helps hospitals preserve capacity for emergencies, surgeries and routine patient care.
“Dr. Jason Terk, a pediatrician in North Texas and a member of the Texas Medical Association said more people are choosing to go without vaccinations. As a result, he said there are more frequent and broader outbreaks of deadly and contagious diseases that are easily preventable. ‘We, as pediatricians, want parents to understand that vaccines, probably second only to modern sanitation, are the most important thing that we’ve done in public health at preventing deaths and preventing serious illnesses,’ Terk said. … ‘Sometimes families get confused by narratives that they’re hearing that are intended to discourage them.’”
KERA News: Concerned about declining rates, North Texas health leaders urge vaccines ahead of new school year
“Juliana has never been inside a grocery store. She has never had a playdate. And no one beyond her immediate household has ever held her. …She was born with congenital athymia, a rare immune disorder that affects how the body fights infection. In her case, it is part of a broader genetic condition known as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also called DiGeorge syndrome. …The condition leaves her without a fully functioning immune system, meaning even common illnesses like a cold can pose serious risks, including infections that last longer; complications such as pneumonia; and, in some cases, hospitalization. …‘When people whose children are healthy don’t choose to vaccinate, it impacts children like Juliana,’ [Juliana’s mother] said. …The increase in exemptions means more risk for children like Juliana, whose world is defined by distance, walls, routines and careful separation from everyday exposures.”
Houston Public Media: As Texas vaccination rates fall, vulnerable children face growing risk
🤝 Public Health is a Group Project
Prevention through immunization isn’t just better medicine – it’s better public policy. Every outbreak avoided means fewer children hospitalized, classrooms disrupted, parents absent from work and all the impacts that has on a community, economy and its daily functions.
THA supports policies that strengthen immunization requirements, particularly in healthcare settings where vulnerable patients face the greatest risk. Strong vaccination policies help reduce the risk of illness, hospitalization and community spread, while every prevented outbreak saves hospitals the significant time, staffing and resources required to respond once disease takes hold.
“Dr. Paul Offit, … told ABC News that vaccines are a victim of their own success. Because vaccines were so effective at eliminating measles, many members of the public no longer remember a time when measles was ubiquitous, he said. In turn, some people no longer fear the illness and some focus has shifted to the perceived risks of the vaccines themselves, leading to a decline in vaccination rates.”
ABC News: Measles cases in 2026 are set to surpass last year’s total. Here’s why
“‘This pattern of multiple quarantines clustered in low-coverage, highly susceptible schools “demands scrutiny,’ write the researchers. They argue that quarantine should be viewed as a temporary strategy that buys time for vaccination efforts rather than its own mitigation strategy. …‘Low coverage not only invites exposure but sustains recirculation,’ they write, noting that quarantines for school-aged children can come with significant social and educational costs.
…‘Maintaining high vaccination coverage,’ write the authors of the South Carolina study, ‘is not only an infection control measure but a prerequisite for uninterrupted schooling, sustainable public health capacity, and the prevention of severe neurological complications.’”
University of Minnesota: Two new reports highlight obstacles to containing US measles outbreaks
⭐ Preventing an outbreak is far less costly – both emotionally and financially – than containing one.
📖 Learn More
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