Deceased Lea County resident tests positive for measles

A deceased Lea County resident tested positive for measles, but state health officials have not determined if the highly contagious viral illness contributed to the person’s death.

The official cause of the Lea County death remains under investigation, the New Mexico Department of Health said Thursday.

Measles can be prevented effectively with vaccines, and deaths from the illness are vanishingly rare. New Mexico has not recorded a measles death in at least 40 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The deceased person in Lea County had not been vaccinated for measles and had not sought medical care, health officials said. State officials didn’t disclose the person’s age or sex.

The Lea County death comes amid a measles outbreak centered in Gaines County, Texas, that began in late January and later spilled into neighboring Lea County.

A Texas child who wasn’t vaccinated died on Feb. 26 amid an outbreak that has grown to 159 cases in that state, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

This new case brings the total number of New Mexico measles cases to 10. All cases have been residents of Lea County, including six adults and four children under the age of 17.

Health officials urge New Mexicans to get vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective against the highly infectious disease.

“We don’t want to see New Mexicans getting sick or dying from measles,” said Dr. Chad Smelser, deputy state epidemiologist. “The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is the best protection against this serious disease.”

Measles symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening. One in five unvaccinated people who contract measles must be hospitalized, the agency said.

Symptoms can appear seven to 21 days after exposure and can include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a red spotted rash that usually starts on the head or face and spreads downward across the body.

The Department of Health has scheduled free measles vaccination clinics in Lea County from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 11 at the Hobbs Public Health Office, 1923 N. Dal Paso, and the Lovington Public Health Office, 302 N. Fifth Street.

If you have symptoms, call before visiting the Hobbs office, (575) 397-2463, or the Lovington office, (575) 396-2853.

Anyone with measles-related questions can call the agency’s helpline at 1-833-796-8773.