New Mexico reports first measles case

The New Mexico Department of Health has reported the first case of measles in the state since late January when Texas officials confirmed at least 15 cases of the disease. The infected individual is a teenager from Lea County, New Mexico, who has not been vaccinated. The outbreak has been traced to Gaines County, Texas, which is adjacent to Lea County in southeastern New Mexico. The infected teenager had not recently travelled or been exposed to any known cases of the outbreak in Texas. In the meantime, New Mexico health officials are tracing the infected teen’s contacts. Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer for the state Department of Health, urged the public to get vaccinated against measles to help prevent the highly infectious disease, stating that two doses of the measles vaccine are 97 percent effective against the disease. Local health authorities have initiated a vaccination campaign, offering free measles vaccines to children in New Mexico through the Vaccines for Children program.