What We Know About the Hospitalized Measles Patients in the Texas Outbreak
While RFK Jr just watched it happen, did you know that among those hospitalized in the Texas measles outbreak was a baby born with measles, who later developed measles encephalitis?
What do you know about the patients who ended up hospitalized during the large Texas measles outbreak in 2025?
If you were listening to Secretary RFK, Jr., you might think that measles patients were only being hospitalized during the Texas outbreak because they needed to be quarantined.
What We Know About the Hospitalized Measles Patients in the Texas Outbreak
Of course, that wasn’t true.
“All patients had clinical indications for hospitalization; no patient was admitted for isolation alone.”
Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with Measles During an Outbreak — West Texas, January–March 2025
We do know that RFK, Jr. simply watched the case count grow from 124, at the time of Donald Trump’s first White House cabinet meeting, to 762 by the time it was over.
And we know that 99 people with measles ended up being hospitalized.
“During the first 3 months of a large measles outbreak in the South Plains region of west Texas (January 20–March 18, 2025), 325 measles cases were reported; 60 (18.5%) patients were hospitalized. Among 54 hospitalized patients with available medical records, all were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status, 91% were aged <18 years, approximately 70% had pneumonia and hypoxia, and one patient died.”
Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with Measles During an Outbreak — West Texas, January–March 2025
Hospitalized patients with measles who were quite sick.
“Hospitalized patients were admitted for a median of 2 days (range = 0–20 days) and many experienced complications, including pneumonia (39; 72.2%), dehydration (25; 46.3%), hepatitis (one; 1.9%), and febrile seizures (one; 1.9%). Thirty-eight (70.4%) hospitalized patients required supplemental oxygen, four (7.4%) were admitted to an intensive care unit, two (3.7%) required intubation and mechanical ventilation, and one (1.9%) died.”
Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with Measles During an Outbreak — West Texas, January–March 2025
We also know that they were mostly:
children
unvaccinated
previously healthy
We also know that four pregnant women had measles, and two of them delivered babies with active measles infections.
“One infant experienced symptoms compatible with acute measles meningoencephalitis and was hospitalized several weeks later, outside the period included in this report.”
Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with Measles During an Outbreak — West Texas, January–March 2025
And one of those newborn babies developed meningoencephalitis, a serious, life-threatening complication of measles!
What else?
Of course, we know that two of the unvaccinated children in the Texas measles outbreak died.
So much for the idea that measles is a mild disease…
Get vaccinated. Stop the Outbreaks.