LEA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Department of Health declared a measles outbreak in Lea County Friday. The decision comes after two adults in the county tested positive for the disease, bringing this week’s total of unrelated cases up to three.
“We are investigating every suspected case, and we encourage sick individuals with symptoms consistent with measles to seek medical care,” said Dr. Chad Smelser, NMDOH deputy state epidemiologist, in a news release.
NMDOH is notifying potentially exposed individuals and providing prevention guidance. NMDOH compiled a list of locations where individuals may have been exposed. Click here for the list.
The cases border Texas’s Gaines County, where cases have jumped from 2 to 48 cases in two weeks. While a connection to the Texas outbreak is suspected, it remains unconfirmed, NMDOH said.
These are New Mexico’s first measles cases since 2024, with two cases reported last year. Before last year, the last cases in the state were reported in 2021.