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Houston Landing
The latest Houston measles case – an infant who was too young to be vaccinated – arrived in the city not from the growing West Texas outbreak, but in the way the virus typically does: through international travel.
“This is what we have exclusively seen in Houston the last bunch of years: an unvaccinated person who traveled internationally,” Dr. David Persse, Houston’s chief medical officer, told the Landing.
Around the world, 57 countries are experiencing “high transmission” of measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Armenia, Kenya, Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia and the Philippines. Some of these countries have nonstop flights to Houston, others are a connecting flight away.
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Meanwhile, measles cases have been on the rise in the United States, which last week surpassed 300 confirmed cases, mostly from the growing West Texas outbreak that began in January. In less than three months during 2025 the U.S. has had more measles cases than the 285 cases reported during all of 2024.
Two people with measles have died so far this year in the United States: a school-age child in West Texas and an adult in an adjoining area of New Mexico. Neither was vaccinated.
With rare exceptions, those becoming infected with measles haven’t been vaccinated against the disease. Two doses of measles vaccine is 97 percent effective in protecting against the virus, and even one dose is 93 percent effective, according to the CDC.
The Houston child, whose test results came back positive for measles on Saturday, was initially hospitalized, Persse said, but is currently doing well and recovering at home. “This is a vaccinating family, but this child was too young to be vaccinated,” Persse said.
It’s unclear what specific actions are being taken to notify people who may have been exposed to the highly contagious virus during the child’s travels. Officials would not say when the child’s flight arrived in Houston or answer any questions about risks at local airports or on flights.
by Alison Young / Staff Writer
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The measles virus can linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area. But as of Monday afternoon, there had been no public alerts notifying Houston travelers or airport workers of time periods or locations where they may have been exposed, as has been done for other recent measles cases that traveled through airports in Los Angeles and the Washington, D.C., area.
The CDC, which Houston health officials said is handling contact tracing for the flights, did not respond to Houston Landing’s multiple requests for information since Sunday. A spokesperson for Houston Airports also referred questions to the CDC. The Texas Department of State Health Services did not respond to questions on Monday.
The Houston child is the city’s third confirmed measles case this year. All have involved international travel and none have been related to the West Texas outbreak.
In January, the city identified two cases of measles involving unvaccinated adults who shared the same household and had traveled internationally. One of these adults required hospitalization. Although the two adults visited several locations in the city before their diagnosis, no additional infections were identified, likely because those they interacted with were vaccinated, health officials have said.
Measles spreads through the air when a person coughs, sneezes and breathes. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash. Serious complications can occur, especially in young children and people with weakened immune systems.
Citing patient privacy, Houston Health Department officials released few details about the child’s case. The department would not say where the family had traveled or what hospital treated the child.
Of the country where the family traveled, Persse said he only could say “we know measles spreads in this country.”
“The take home point with regards to that: if you’re planning on traveling internationally you may want to make sure all your immunizations are up to date, measles being just one of them,” Persse said. “When you look around the globe, there’s quite a number of countries where measles is still common, unfortunately.”
Protecting young children, especially infants, against infections during international travel can be more difficult, he noted.
“There are a number of vaccines that the child may be too young for,” Persse said. Another issue, he said, is that young children’s bodies are still developing their immune systems to defend against disease.
“So when you’re doing international travel, you really need to talk to your pediatrician and make sure you’ve got all the protection that you should have before you go,” Persse said.
The CDC recommends children receive a first dose of measles vaccine when they are 12-15 months old and a second dose when they are 4-6 years old.
In Houston, most people are believed to be vaccinated against measles, Persse said. “So it’s not spreading locally,” he emphasized. The West Texas outbreak began in a local community with low vaccination rates.
Adults who are unsure about their measles vaccination status can get a dose of the vaccine or they can also get a blood test to check whether they have immunity against measles, Persse said.
While Houston’s three measles cases this year have been unrelated to the significant outbreak in West Texas, local health officials have been encouraging the region’s residents to get vaccinated now to protect against the potential spread of the virus here.
According to the CDC, it’s important for 95 percent of residents in local communities to be vaccinated against measles in order to prevent the virus from spreading.
As of Friday, the Texas Department of State Health Services had confirmed 259 measles cases in the West Texas outbreak, with 34 people requiring hospitalization and the one child’s death. Another 35 measles cases have been identified as of Friday in a nearby part of New Mexico. 
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by Alison Young, Houston Landing
March 18, 2025
Alison is Houston Landing’s associate editor for investigations and an investigative reporter specializing in health, environmental and consumer issues. Her work has revealed safety lapses at biological… More by Alison Young
