New Jersey has three confirmed cases of measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus sparking some concerning outbreaks across the country, according to the state health department.
According to health officials, the three cases stem from one single laboratory-confirmed case in a Bergen County resident earlier this month. That resident had recently traveled internationally. Within a week, two secondary cases of measles were identified. Both of those individuals had close contact with the infected individual who traveled. Neither of them were vaccinated either, officials said. The three have been under quarantine, minimizing additional exposure.
Last year, New Jersey reported seven total measles cases.
Before the measles vaccine became available, measles was a common childhood disease. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are not vaccinated will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles is considered the most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses and can survive in the air for up to two hours. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes and rash.
Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die. Measles can also cause miscarriages in pregnant women.
News of the confirmed cases in New Jersey comes as a measles outbreak in rural West Texas claims its first fatality, a child. That outbreak has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said Tuesday. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico.
The measles outbreak in West Texas has increased to 124 cases, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
What is measles?
Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.
Is the vaccine safe?
Yes, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing measles infection and severe cases of the disease.
The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide.
Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, it’s usually fewer than 200 in a normal year.
There is no link between the vaccine and autism, despite a now-discredited study and health disinformation.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. questioned RFK Jr. about the infant onesies once sold by Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit Kennedy founded, in his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Why do vaccination rates matter?
In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”
But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.
The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. Five years earlier, measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019.
Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year. Health officials say that number is likely higher because it doesn’t include many children who are homeschooled and whose data would not be reported.
What are public health officials doing to stop the spread?
Health workers are hosting regular vaccination clinic and screening efforts in Texas, as well as working with schools to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offering shots.
New Mexico health officials are also hosting several vaccination clinics in Hobbs next week.
