A health official in Texas is cautioning against “measles parties” as the outbreak in West Texas has escalated to at least 146 confirmed cases, including 20 individuals hospitalized and the death of an unvaccinated school-aged child. The majority of cases are occurring among unvaccinated children.
During a press conference organized by the city of Lubbock, Texas, on Friday, Ron Cook, the chief health officer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, issued a serious warning in his opening remarks.
“What I want you to understand is: Holding measles parties is not a good idea because we cannot predict who might face severe complications from measles, such as hospitalization, pneumonia, encephalitis, or even death,” Cook stated. “So it’s unwise to hold a measles party. The best approach is to ensure that you are fully vaccinated.”
Lubbock is situated about 90 miles northwest of the outbreak’s epicenter in Gaines County, one of the counties in Texas with the lowest vaccination rates, which has reported 98 of the outbreak’s 146 cases. Although Lubbock has only recorded two cases, it has treated patients from other locations, including the first two cases in the outbreak and the child who tragically succumbed to the infection earlier in the week, who was not from Lubbock.
It remains uncertain if measles parties are actually taking place in Gaines or other areas. “It’s mostly been … chatter on social media,” Cook explained in response to a follow-up inquiry from Ars. He mentioned that measles parties and chickenpox parties were more prevalent before vaccines were developed for both illnesses. However, he reiterated the potential risks associated with such practices today. “Please avoid that. It’s sheer foolishness; it’s like playing roulette,” he warned.
Cook, alongside Lubbock’s public health director, Katherine Wells, indicated that there doesn’t seem to be a resolution in sight for the outbreak, which now affects nine counties in Texas, many of which have low vaccination rates. “This outbreak is likely to continue growing,” Wells stated, hesitating to predict just how many total cases might occur after a journalist suggested the possibility of reaching several hundred.
Out of the 146 cases reported, 116 involve individuals under the age of 18, with 46 being 4 years old or younger. Only five of the individuals diagnosed had received at least one dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Messaging
In a positive development, Wells noted that the outbreak seems to be prompting some hesitant parents to vaccinate their children. Just the previous day, over 50 children visited the city’s clinic in Lubbock for measles vaccinations. Among them, eleven had prior vaccine exemptions, meaning their parents had gone through the state process to exempt their child from routine childhood vaccinations required for school attendance. “This is very encouraging; it indicates that our message is resonating,” said Wells.
Throughout the outbreak, which began in late January, communications regarding the disease and the critical need for vaccination have primarily come from local and state officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a brief statement late Thursday, which did not go out through the agency’s press distribution list. However, it emphasized that “vaccination remains the most effective protection against measles infection.”
During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, US health secretary and anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed a question about the outbreak, disseminating various incorrect information. Kennedy downplayed the situation, erroneously claiming, “it’s not unusual.” In fact, this year has been atypical for measles cases in the US. As epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina pointed out on Bluesky, the number of measles cases so far this year has already exceeded the total case numbers from eight of the last 15 years. And it’s only February.
