Health officials in Los Angeles County have confirmed a case of measles in a resident who recently returned from Texas, where a significant outbreak of the disease is currently ongoing.
The outbreak in Texas is alarming, described as one of the worst in recent U.S. history, leading to the deaths of two school-aged children who were unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
This latest case marks the third confirmed measles instance reported in L.A. County for 2023.
Earlier in the year, a resident tested positive after traveling through Los Angeles International Airport aboard a China Airlines flight from Taipei, Taiwan, while a separate case involved an individual on a Korean Air flight from Seoul.
According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, the traveler involved in the most recent case was not infectious during their travels.
Public health officials are actively working to identify individuals who may have been exposed while the infected person was contagious.
Measles, known for its highly infectious nature, can be easily transmitted through the air and may remain airborne and on surfaces for hours even after an infected person has vacated the area.
Symptoms typically include a high fever exceeding 101 degrees, alongside cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a characteristic rash that often emerges on the face before spreading across the body.
The CDC notes that individuals can spread measles from four days before the appearance of the rash until four days afterward.
Those who have not been vaccinated against measles, whether through immunization or past infection, are at particular risk, with the potential for illness occurring between seven and 21 days post-exposure.
The CDC emphasizes that having two doses of the measles vaccine is approximately 97% effective in preventing infection.
Nationwide, the CDC has identified 10 active measles outbreaks, with the most significant located in Texas’ Gaines County, a region noted for its low vaccination rates, close-knit population, and recent crossover to surrounding states.
The outbreak in Gaines County has spread to New Mexico and Oklahoma and has been linked to new cases in Kansas, the CDC report suggests, with additional reports of outbreaks emerging in Chihuahua, Mexico.
As of now, 884 measles cases have been documented across the country this year, marking the second-highest annual case count in 25 years.
In stark contrast, a total of only 285 cases were recorded throughout the entirety of 2024.
The median age of those infected in 2023 is reported to be 8, with approximately one-third of patients being younger than five years old.
Among all reported cases, a staggering 96% were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, indicating a troubling trend.
So far in 2023, 85 individuals have required hospitalization due to measles, with all but one being unvaccinated or having an unknown vaccination status.
Texas health officials have cited measles pulmonary failure as the cause of the state’s latest reported measles-related deaths.
The CDC noted that the majority of measles cases this year are originating from close-knit communities with low vaccination rates, underscoring the risks associated with immunization gaps.
Before this latest case, nine measles cases had already been confirmed in California in 2023, with reports extending to counties such as Orange, Riverside, Fresno, San Mateo, Placer, and Tuolumne.
In 2024, California recorded 15 cases of measles, while only four cases were documented in 2023.
California experienced a significant measles outbreak from December 2014 to April 2015, mainly centered at Disneyland and resulting in over 130 infections, affecting even individuals from neighboring states, Mexico, and Canada.
Following this outbreak, California lawmakers took action to strengthen vaccination requirements for schoolchildren, resulting in an impressive 96.2% vaccination rate among kindergartners for the 2023-24 academic year.
This figure represents a slight drop from the previous year’s 96.5%, yet it remains substantially higher than the pre-outbreak levels, which were below 94%.
Public health experts advocate for achieving a 95% vaccination threshold to effectively guard against potential outbreaks.
In light of the ongoing outbreaks, pediatricians across the country have intensified efforts to combat misinformation regarding measles and its vaccine.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed in a recent statement that the measles vaccine is both safe and effective, addressing misleading claims propagated by wellness influencers and anti-vaccine proponents
Extensive research has shown that the MMR vaccine significantly decreases the risk of contracting measles, a disease notorious for causing severe complications and even fatality.
As this situation continues to develop, health officials urge communities to increase vaccination rates to protect public health.
image source from：https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-04-25/measles-confirmed-in-l-a-county-resident-who-recently-returned-from-texas
