I Uncovered That Texas Measles Mystery That the Dallas Morning News Is Talking About
There is no mystery to why measles is returning in Texas.
Does Texas have a measles mystery?
“Texas has a measles mystery. The Texas Department of State Health Services has tallied 18 confirmed measles cases so far this year, several of which were travel-related. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Texas has had 93 cases as of March 5. That number appears on a CDC webpage with no additional information, such as where the cases occurred, the age of the patients or how severe their illness was. That means Texans can only guess where most of the other 75 cases developed.”
“News stories resolve part of the discrepancy. Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which are not required to report measles to state health authorities, have had multiple cases of the highly contagious virus. Camp East Montana outside of El Paso has acknowledged 14 infections and the family detention center in Dilley had two cases.That leaves 59 mystery infections. With a virus as contagious and potentially debilitating as measles, any unanswered question about who has it and where they acquired it is unsettling. The lack of information is unacceptable.”
A Texas measles mystery
The Dallas Morning News editorial board sure does seem to think we do!
I Uncovered That Texas Measles Mystery That the Dallas Morning News Is Talking About
So are public health folks in Texas trying to hide our measles cases?
Nope!
The Texas Health and Human Services department even started to publish a weekly report of all measles cases in the state, including the cases in those federal detention facilities.
But that does still leave one mystery though!
After a record breaking year of measles cases in Texas in which two unvaccinated children died, why isn’t the Dallas Morning News doing a better job of reporting on these outbreaks?
“Ninety-three cases of measles is a lot. It is not normal for Texas to have 93 cases in a year, much less three months. There were only 39 cases reported statewide during the decade between 2015 and 2024. The United States had eliminated this disease, and the state should not experience more than a handful of cases each year.Also, measles is extremely contagious. Nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who spend time in a room near someone actively infected with the virus will walk away with measles.That’s why a measles outbreak in a congregate setting like a detention center, where large numbers of people with unknown vaccination histories live close together, is serious.”
A Texas measles mystery
In addition to being way off on the measles count so far this year, today’s editorial in the Dallas Morning News makes no mention that the bigger problem is that too many people are exposed to misinformation about vaccines, scaring them into a decision to leave themselves and their kids unvaccinated, not that measles is spreading in ICE facilities!
“CDC officials did not respond to an email by publication time. State public health officials have consistently and promptly answered questions and clarified confusion. That’s what they did during last year’s South Plains measles outbreak, and that’s why we trust their case counts now. The federal government, however, has a lot of explaining to do.”
A Texas measles mystery
And of course, there is a problem that there are too many people, including kids, in these ICE facilities.
Let them explain that!
More on Measles in Texas
These pediatrician moms have a shared message: Release all children in immigration detention
‘Why Is This Happening to Us?’ Daily Number of Kids in ICE Detention Jumps 6x Under Trump
Migrant families allege children held by ICE face unsafe and unsanitary conditions
2-month-old with bronchitis, family held at Dilley ICE facility deported to Mexico, Rep. Castro says
The Return of Measles: A Global Health Crisis Unfolding in 2025
Trump/Kennedy/Texas would love nothing more than to undercount measles cases going into an election year.
This story makes me itch.