By Matthew Reichbach
The New Mexico Department of Health declared a measles outbreak in a southeastern New Mexico county.
The declaration on Friday came a day after the department confirmed two additional cases of measles among adults in Lea County. Earlier this week, the DOH confirmed a teenager in Lea County was diagnosed with measles.
The department said the three cases are unrelated and the recent instances reached the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s criteria of an outbreak.
“We are investigating every suspected case, and we encourage sick individuals with symptoms consistent with measles to seek medical care,” Dr. Chad Smelser, NMDOH Deputy State Epidemiologist, said.
Measles is a highly contagious and dangerous disease. NMDOH said that about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who contract measles are hospitalized.
The department urged those who are not vaccinated against measles to get their measles-mumps-rubella, commonly known as MMR, vaccine as soon as possible. The department will host free measles vaccination clinics in Lea county over the next two weeks at the following times and locations:
- 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Hobbs Public Health Office, 1923 N. Dal Paso.
- 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.) Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the Hobbs Public Health Office, 1923 N. Dal Paso.
- 9 a.m. – 3:30 (closed noon to 1 p.m.) Thursday Feb. 20 at the Lovington Public Health Office, 302 N. 5th Street.
- 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.) Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 26 and 27 at the Hobbs Public Health Office.
Those who are unsure about their vaccination status can access vaccination records at the state Vax View website or through the NMHealth Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773).
In tracking the path of those who have confirmed cases of measles, DOH said there are possible exposures if you have been at one of the following locations:
- Stone Elementary School, Hobbs, N.M. on Thursday, Feb 6.
- Albertsons grocery store, 2402 N. Grimes St., Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 6.
- Albertsons grocery store, 2402 N. Grimes St., Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 1 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 8.
- Crosswinds Community Church, 1701 N Jefferson St., Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 9.
- Walgreens, 801 Joe Harvey Blvd, Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 9.
- Nor-Lea Hospital emergency department between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday Feb. 10.
- Nor-Lea Hospital extended hours clinic, 1923 N Dal Paso, Hobbs, N.M. between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb 10.
- Nor-Lea Hospital emergency department between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported an outbreak of measles in the South Plains region of Texas, which borders New Mexico, including Lea County. The Texas DSHS said Friday that there are 48 confirmed cases in counties in the area, including 42 in Gaines County, which borders Lea County.
3 cases is an outbreak? Let the hysterics begin.
Are there really that many people that don’t get measles vaccines? I’m pretty sure most people get those. It’s a completely different story from the COVID vaccine. Intellectual honesty is a good thing.
The anti-vaccine movement has a fairly long history. It was underway when my 50 year old eldest child got his MMR shot as an infant.
It turns out that viruses don’t pay attention to boundaries drawn on maps. Lea County in New Mexico has the misfortune to share a border with Gaines County in Texas. Coverage of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is particularly low in Gaines County, where nearly 1 in 5 incoming kindergartners in the 2023-24 school year did not get the vaccine. So, even though Lea has a high level of vaccinations, anyone who is unvaccinated there is vulnerable to infection.
Wow, thanks for the analysis. People who aren’t vaccinated are vulnerable, you don’t say??
At the end of the day, I think the vast majority of us agree that MMR vaccines are prudent and effective. Perhaps it’s best for all to act rationally and state your support of this vaccine. Pointing at RFK and screaming “anti-vaxxer” and acting hysterial about these “outbreaks” doesn’t bring people to your (very reasonable) side of the argument.
Point to the data regarding its effectiveness and cut out all of the other histrionics. If people choose not to get this vaccine, I don’t know what to say, it’s a bad decision based on the evidence. But don’t wish ill on them if they choose to make that poor decision.
Unfortunately there really are that many children who aren’t MMR vaccinated, in some areas of the US it’s as low as 67% now. We had measles beat in 2000 when our national vaccination rate was better than 95%, but since then vaccinations plunged and we had major surges in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022. Outbreaks are in “pockets”, low vaccinated communities like this one in Texas. People have forgotten how horribly contagious and dangerous measles can be, especially for children under 5 and pregnant women … a measles infection can cause blindness, brain damage, pneumonia, encephalitis and death.