On Aug. 18, 2025, the Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting the end of this year’s measles outbreak centered in West Texas. It has been more than 42 days since a new case was reported in any of the counties that previously showed evidence of ongoing transmission. DSHS will continue to monitor for new cases but will cease updating the interactive outbreak dashboard.

As of August 18, 762 cases of measles have been confirmed in the outbreak since late January. More than two-thirds of the cases were in children. Ninety-nine people were hospitalized over the course of the outbreak, and there were two fatalities in school-aged children.

Public health professionals consider a measles outbreak over after 42 days with no new cases because that is double the disease’s maximum incubation period, the longest time it can take between when a person is exposed to the virus and when they get sick.

The end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over. Since there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in North America and around the world, it is likely that there will be additional cases of measles this year in Texas. Health care providers should continue to be vigilant and test for measles if their patient has symptoms compatible with the virus.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. During a measles outbreak, about one in five children who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia. Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight.