This story was originally published by TheStatehouseFile.com
By Anna Cecil
TheStatehouseFile.com
March 5, 2025
A high fever, sometimes spiking over 104 degrees, a dry cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and maybe even a rash— these are the symptoms that at least 146 Texans may be experiencing as a result of contracting the highly contagious measles virus.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC), states that measles is an airborne virus, which means it can spread when a person coughs or sneezes. It can be contracted by being in the same room as an infected individual.
The most effective form of prevention is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The CDC recommends receiving two doses of the shot, which yield a 97% effectiveness rating in protecting vaccinated individuals from the virus.
In 2000, the U.S. announced that measles was eliminated from the country, but it still exists due to unvaccinated travellers who contract the virus in other countries.
It is also common in communities that have low immunization rates.
In January, Texas began seeing an uptick in measles cases. Last week, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services confirmed a total of 146 cases. Five had at least one dose of the MMR vaccine, 79 were unvaccinated and 62 had an unknown immunization status.
The outbreak is occurring primarily in Gaines County, Texas, which is home to Mennonite communities. Some Mennonites do not get vaccinated because they interact less with health care providers, or they choose to opt out of them due to fears of side effects and issues with the manufacturing process.
Gaines is among several west Texas counties with low MMR vaccination rates. The county has a rate of 82% immunized while the CDC recommends a 95% vaccination rate for a community to be considered protected.
LaGrange and Elkhart counties, located in northern Indiana, are home to over 26,000 Amish and Mennonite individuals. Like Gaines County in Texas, the Hoosier counties also have MMR vaccination rates below the recommended 95% rate.
In 2024, just 72.8% of LaGrange County residents had the MMR vaccine. Elkhart County had a rate of 82.9%.
Melanie Sizemore, health officer of the Elkhart County Health Department said her county does not specifically track the vaccination rates of the local Amish communities because they are a religious group.
She added that the MMR vaccination rate in her community, which takes the general population into account, is more likely to be lower than 95% due to a rise in anti-vaxxers since the COVID-19 pandemic.
She added the only reason Texas’ outbreak is attributed to Mennonites is because the cases are mostly confined to that community and affecting members who have not received the MMR vaccine.
Sizemore said she doesn’t know how many members of the Amish and Mennonite communities in Elkhart and LaGrange counties are unvaccinated because they have not experienced an outbreak of measles.
“We don’t necessarily know that there’s a low vaccination rate in that (Amish and Mennonite) population until they were to get sick,” Sizemore said.
Despite certain unknown immunization statistics, Elkhart County still has an MMR rate that is lower than what it needs to be considered protected from measles in the event of an outbreak.
Sizemore said the health department works to combat their 82.9% vaccination rate by holding clinics in the county’s rural areas.
Also, she suspected transportation troubles may be a contributing reason for Elkhart County’s immunization issues. To make vaccination more convenient for county residents, the health department has been hosting clinics in various areas across the county, about a 30 minute drive from the agency’s main location.
“We tend to try and meet people where they are,” she said. “We’ve chosen these locations in the past. It’s truly been because they’re more rural and we’re less accessible to them.”
Indiana has not seen a confirmed measles case since February of last year. Sizemore said if the state were to have an outbreak, her health department would handle it by increasing vaccination clinics and closely monitoring any confirmed cases.
The Indiana Department of Health declined an interview with TheStatehouseFile.com, but made the following statement via email.
“The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) works in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments (LHDs) and other state health departments, and is monitoring measles cases in Texas and in other jurisdictions. That data is reported to the CDC and is available at the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
“IDOH works with LHDs in Indiana to support ongoing efforts to educate Hoosiers about vaccines and other best practices to prevent disease and ensure recommended vaccines are available across the state.
“While no cases have been confirmed in Indiana this year, IDOH has already been working closely with LHDs to ensure adequate supplies of MMR vaccine are on hand at the state and local level, and that local health officials are communicating with families, healthcare providers and other partner organizations in the communities they serve.”
Anna Cecil is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
