# First Measles death in Texas - Feb, 2025, and now in other parts of the US **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 26, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834 "2025-02-26T16:56:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/341 "2025-10-15T21:44:49Z")
I caught measles in the early ‘60s, and was very ill, I’m told. My late mother said I got it at a children’s party, and she knew who I got it from, too. By the time my brother came along, they had a shot for it. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/342 "2025-10-15T21:53:25Z")
> [Quarantined! Measles!](https://imgur.com/a/mQlKisf) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/mP40KIt.png "Quarantined! Measles!") ](https://imgur.com/a/quarantined-measles-mQlKisf#mP40KIt) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/343 "2025-10-23T01:09:49Z")
Another outbreak, this time at Colorado City AZ and nearby parts of Utah. AIUI, that’s the location of an extreme LDS offshoot. Not too surprising it has low vaccination rates. [https://www.firstpost.com/health/measles-outbreak-in-us-utah-and-arizona-hardest-hit-with-over-100-known-cases-ws-e-13944227.html](https://www.firstpost.com/health/measles-outbreak-in-us-utah-and-arizona-hardest-hit-with-over-100-known-cases-ws-e-13944227.html) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/344 "2025-10-23T03:21:29Z")
Here’s a link that isn’t paywalled. This one doesn’t say how old the child was. [https://www.pulmonologyadvisor.com/news/child-in-los-angeles-dies-of-rare-brain-disorder-caused-by-measles/](https://www.pulmonologyadvisor.com/news/child-in-los-angeles-dies-of-rare-brain-disorder-caused-by-measles/) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/345 "2025-10-23T07:56:34Z")
nm .,. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/346 "2025-12-10T15:36:04Z")
> **[Over 250 people quarantined in South Carolina as measles outbreak rages](https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/12/over-250-people-quarantined-in-south-carolina-as-measles-outbreak-rages/)** > > 16 cases are linked to a church, which followed exposures at four schools last week. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/347 "2025-12-31T19:17:48Z")
And to end 2025: > **[US measles cases surpass 2,000, highest in 30 years: CDC](https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-measles-cases-surpass-2000-highest-30-years/story?id=128747603)** > > The U.S. has surpassed 2,000 measles cases for the first time in more than 30 years, according to data from the CDC. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/348 "2025-12-31T23:46:34Z")
And those are just the reported cases. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/349 "2026-01-10T02:34:15Z")
> **[Measles continues raging in South Carolina; 99 new cases since Tuesday](https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/measles-continues-raging-in-south-carolina-99-new-cases-since-tuesday/)** > > With so many exposures sites, officials can't figure out where people were infected. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/350 "2026-01-15T00:55:59Z")
> **[SC measles outbreak has gone berserk: 124 cases since Friday, 409 quarantined](https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/sc-measles-outbreak-has-gone-berserk-124-cases-since-friday-409-quarantined/)** > > On Jan. 6, there were 211 cases. The outbreak, which began in October, is now at 434. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/351 "2026-01-15T04:48:54Z")
If only we had a way to prevent this. Oh, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/352 "2026-01-28T23:42:45Z")
South Carolina decisively beating Texas! > The explosive measles outbreak in South Carolina has now reached [789 cases](https://dph.sc.gov/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/measles-rubeola/2025-measles-outbreak), breaking Texas’s outbreak record last year of [762 cases](https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025), which at the time was the largest outbreak in the US since measles was declared eliminated from the US in 2000. The country is at grave risk of losing its elimination status in the coming months due to continuous spread. > > With Texas’ outbreak last year—which spanned January to August and spread to additional states—the US saw the largest measles case total since 1991, with [2,255 confirmed cases](https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html). Now, with South Carolina’s unbridled outbreak, 2026 is already looking like it will be another record year. Though South Carolina’s outbreak began in October, the spread of the disease has dramatically accelerated this month, with cases jumping from 218 on December 28 to 789 on January 27. > **[South Carolina tops Texas measles outbreak record—with no end in sight](https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/01/sc-measles-23-schools-hit-over-550-quarantined-as-outbreak-hits-record/)** > > Since start of the year, South Carolina's outbreak has accelerated dramatically. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/353 "2026-01-29T00:05:48Z")
I updated the thread title. There’s also a makes outbreak in Canada, but maybe it should have its own thread. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/354 "2026-01-29T00:11:31Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I updated the thread title. There’s also a makes outbreak in Canada, but maybe it should have its own thread. Heh. You might want to update it again… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/355 "2026-01-29T00:13:45Z")
Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/356 "2026-02-01T03:03:52Z")
[Infectious Measles Case Visits Orange County | Orange County California - Health Care Agency](https://www.ochealthinfo.com/press/infectious-measles-case-visits-orange-county) > **(Santa Ana, CA)** – The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) received notification from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Los Angeles Department of Public Health (LADPH) of a confirmed measles case in an international traveler who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and visited Orange County (OC). > > While infectious, the person visited the following locations in Orange County on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, with potential exposure windows included: > > - Goofy’s Kitchen in Disneyland Hotel, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. > - Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, 12:30 p.m. to closing Oh hey, not very busy locations. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/357 "2026-02-01T03:24:18Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Oh hey, not very busy locations. One side effect of living in the California is vaccination rates. [From 2023](https://www.ppic.org/blog/school-vaccination-rates-vary-across-california/) ( **bolding** mine): > This is reflected in the state’s overall vaccination rates, which are among the highest in the nation. In the 2023­–24 school year (the most recent school-level data available), about [93.7% of California’s kindergarten students](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Immunization/2023-2024KindergartenReport.pdf) received all required vaccines, a slight decline from 94.1% in 2022–23. **Rates are even higher for some individual vaccines, including MMR: over 96% of kindergartners are vaccinated for MMR,** putting the state average above the commonly cited [herd immunity threshold of 95%](https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html). The national average for MMR vaccination dropped to 92.7% in 2023–24. Of course, if a family was visiting from Texas or Florida… ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/358 "2026-02-01T05:09:44Z")
The elementary school in my former small home town in South Dakota has reported five measles cases. They are all in the same household (maybe not the same family?), all unvaxinated, and had just returned from a trip to someplace in Canada. I sure there are rumors in the town about that “strange” family, their religion, and odd viewpoints. If they were very religious, I’d expect that they’d be home schooling instead of sending their kids to public school. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/359 "2026-02-01T21:39:34Z")
Most of the time, as a kid, when I was sick, I sort of sat around the house. This was before the vaccine. The school sent a letter home with the kids saying that we had been exposed. When I had the measles, I stayed in bed and mostly slept for a few days. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834/360 "2026-02-07T14:25:06Z")
And we can expect this to be increasingly common. I ran across this opinion piece in the NEJM today, and found it sad and moving. [A Pediatrician’s Dilemma — Pushing Back against CDC Guidance in the Exam Room](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2517911) D.R. Novick When a mother cites the CDC as her source of dangerous misinformation about vaccines, her child’s pediatrician struggles: how hard can a doctor push back without destroying the trust built over a lifetime? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-measles-death-in-texas-feb-2025-and-now-in-other-parts-of-the-us/1014834.md?page=19)