INSIDER
In rural West Texas, measles has sickened nearly 150 people, most of them unvaccinated. A school-age child has died. The virus is spreading among Gaines County’s Mennonite community, where government mandates are not trusted.
Bexar County has yet to report any measles cases but the number of infections around Texas is rising. As of Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported 146 confirmed cases.
As the measles outbreak in West Texas continues to expand, San Antonio’s health officials are raising awareness about the virus.
While a measles case has yet to be confirmed in San Antonio and Bexar County, hundreds of thousands of residents may have been exposed to the virus spreading rapidly throughout the state.
The Mennonite population being affected by a measles outbreak in West Texas is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches worldwide with varied beliefs and leadership structures — and with sometimes strained or distant relations with public authorities.
The measles outbreak has spread hundreds of miles from its West Texas epicenter to now include Brown and Erath counties, according to the state’s latest update.
A measles outbreak is growing in a West Texas community with a high rate of opting out of vaccination requirements.
An exclusive Inside Climate News analysis found that companies have spilled nearly 150 million gallons of toxic, highly saline wastewater in Texas over the last decade.
