West Texas

Measles complications can include pneumonia, hearing loss, meningitis, and death.

Medical disinformation connected to the West Texas measles outbreak has created a new problem. Children are being treated for toxic levels of vitamin A.

In Lubbock, federal grants helped hire workers to help with measles testing, vaccination to combat the outbreak that has spread to 15 counties.

That raised the number of confirmed cases since January to 309, with 40 patients hospitalized, though the state does not report how many of those have already been released.

Public health experts say Texas needs better messaging on vaccinations and quarantining and more people conducting contact tracing to contain the spread.

“If that’s a stump, it’s the weirdest stump I’ve ever seen.”

The measles outbreak has claimed at least two lives so far. Texas will share its own update on the outbreak on Friday.

Medical professionals have stressed the importance of getting the MMR vaccine since the outbreak began. Adults who are unsure of their vaccination status can request records from their primary care providers.

The first death in relation to the ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas has been confirmed by local and state health officials. The patient was an unvaccinated school-aged child, hospitalized in Lubbock last week.

With temperatures dropping, bats will be leaving the state in search of warmer climates. Bats are crucial to the ecosystem, contributing the equivalent of $1.4 billion in insect control to Texas agriculture, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.