Baylor Public Health Expert: Explaining the West Texas Measles Outbreak

Contact: Kelly Craine, 254-297-9065
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Public health officials are sounding the alarm as cases of the worst measles outbreak in 30 years continue to spread in West Texas. Since January 2025, The Texas Department of State Health Services reports over 100 confirmed cases and spreading. 

Gabriel Benavidez, Ph.D., epidemiologist and assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, outlines how a vaccine-preventable disease can return and what can be done to stop it.

Factors contributing to the outbreak

Benavidez attributes the rapid spread to several key factors:

• Low Vaccination Rates: About 18% of school-age children in Gaines County have exemptions from at least one vaccine, leaving the community well below the 95% immunization rate needed to maintain herd immunity.
• Delayed Recognition and Isolation: Measles symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear after exposure, allowing the virus to spread before individuals realize they are infected.
• Extreme Contagiousness: Measles has an R0 (basic reproduction number) of 12-18, meaning one infected person can spread the virus to up to 18 others in a susceptible population – far higher than the flu’s R0 of 1-2.

Challenges in containing the outbreak

Public health officials are facing significant hurdles in controlling the outbreak, Benavidez said. These include:

• Vaccine Hesitancy: Misinformation about vaccine safety and personal or religious beliefs continue to drive low vaccination rates, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Delayed Case Identification: Early measles symptoms resemble other illnesses, making prompt diagnosis difficult.
• Limited Public Health Resources: Many rural Texas counties lack health departments or have minimal resources, making contact tracing and community education challenging.
• Distrust of Public Health: Some rural communities have longstanding skepticism toward public health initiatives, further complicating response efforts.

Strategies for controlling the outbreak

Benavidez emphasizes that effective containment of measles relies on:

• Raising Public Awareness: Communities must be informed about the outbreak and the risks of measles.
• Rapid Case Identification and Isolation: Early detection, contact tracing and quarantine measures are critical.
• Building Trust in Vaccination: Engaging with local communities to address concerns and encourage immunization.

Strains on health care systems

Benavidez’s research focuses on disparities in access to health care services, noting that the measles outbreak is placing additional stress on an already fragile health care system in Texas, which has seen more rural hospital closures than any other state. With 71 counties lacking hospitals, many communities are struggling to manage the influx of cases due to increased patient loads, shortages of medical resources and potential staffing constraints due to exposure risks.

The importance of vaccination

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine remains the most effective tool in preventing outbreaks, Benavidez stressed.

“A single dose provides 93% protection, while two doses increase effectiveness to 97%,” he said. “In the current outbreak, most cases involve unvaccinated individuals, reinforcing the critical role of immunization in preventing the spread of disease.”

ABOUT GABRIEL A. BENAVIDEZ, PH.D.

Gabriel A. Benavidez, Ph.D., is an epidemiologist and assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at Baylor University. He received his M.P.H. from Baylor in 2019 and his Ph.D. from the Arnold School of Public Health at The University of South Carolina. He also is an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Health Policy Research Scholars fellowship.

Benavidez’s research examines disparities in access to health care services, employing traditional and spatial epidemiologic methods to identify specific populations or geographic areas lacking access to critical health care services. Additionally, his work aims to examine how lack of access to health care services impacts the burden of cancer morbidity and mortality among socially disadvantaged populations.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu. 

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

The Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor University seeks to prepare leaders in health and quality of life through science, scholarship and innovation. Together, the departments housed within the Robbins College – Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Public Health; and a number of Army-Baylor graduate programs – promote a team-based approach to transformational education and research, establishing interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving quality of life for individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit the Robbins College website.