School officials in Texas and New Mexico are monitoring measles cases as outbreaks in those states continue to impact school-age children.

As of March 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a total of 222 measles cases this year in 12 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington. Nearly 79 percent of those cases have been in people ages 0-19. Almost all cases (94 percent) have been in unvaccinated individuals.

Texas has the largest outbreak — 198 cases have been reported in the South Plains region as of March 7. On Feb. 26, Texas officials announced the first known death related to measles this year, a school-aged child who was not vaccinated against the virus.

According to the California Department of Public Health, as of March 11, there have been five reported cases of measles in California this year. In all of 2024, there were 15 confirmed cases in California.

In New Mexico, where 30 cases have been reported as of March 7, the department of health has issued guidance for schools on measles, which includes communication templates and best practices, such as keeping a list of unvaccinated students who may need to be excluded from school if there is a known case of the virus. The guidance is available at www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/guide/9125/.

According to the California Department of Public Health, measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It is widespread in many parts of the world, including Europe, Africa and Asia. Measles begins with a fever that lasts for a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and a rash. The rash typically appears first on the face, along the hairline, and behind the ears and then affects the rest of the body. Infected people are usually contagious from about four days before their rash starts to four days afterwards.

Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000 following a highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However vaccination rates have dipped in recent years following an increase in vaccine skepticism, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a 2024 CDC report, kindergartners with state-required vaccinations have declined from 95 percent to approximately 93 percent between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years.

“Among kindergarten students, vaccination coverage continues to decline as exemptions increase, setting the stage for accumulation of clusters of undervaccinated children, which can lead to outbreaks,” according to the report.

While high levels of immunity in the general population ultimately limit measles outbreaks, measles readily spreads in communities and social networks with lower coverage, according to the California Department of Public Health.