AUSTIN, Texas — The measles outbreak in the South Plains region of Texas continues to rage on, with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reporting 146 cases as of Friday, Feb. 28. One unvaccinated child has died, marking the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade.
No cases have been confirmed in Texas outside of that region, but state and local officials are on high alert as measles also pops up outside the Lone Star State.
The MMR – measles-mumps-rubella – vaccine is highly effective in protecting against measles. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles and two doses are 97% effective against the disease.
In Texas, children in kindergarten through 12th grade are required to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, though families can request an exemption from the requirement.
The DSHS tracks vaccination rates by age online. The most recent data is from the 2023-24 school year and shows that about 94% of kindergarteners statewide had both doses of the MMR vaccine.
As the measles outbreak continues, KVUE took a look at MMR vaccination rates by county for our area.
MMR vaccinations by Central Texas county
Here are the MMR vaccination rates for kindergartners in each county in and near the KVUE viewing area, based on data from DSHS:
- Bastrop County – 94.95%
- Blanco County – 86.21%
- Burnet County – 91.38%
- Caldwell County – 96.90%
- Fayette County – 96.97%
- Gillespie County – 94.21%
- Hays County – 95.07%
- Lee County – 95.98%
- Llano County – 90.84%
- Mason County – 89.09%
- Milam County – 94.91%
- Travis County – 89.61%
- Williamson County – 94.87%
The data can also be viewed on the heat map below. The darker the county, the higher the percentage of kindergarteners in that area with both MMR doses.
MMR vaccinations by school district
DSHS also tracks vaccination data specifically for schools. Here are the MMR vaccination rates for the public school districts in the KVUE viewing area:
- Austin ISD – 83.67%
- Bastrop ISD – 94.73%
- Blanco ISD – 90%
- Burnet CISD – 89.80%
- Del Valle ISD – 95.14%
- Dripping Springs ISD – 94.85%
- Eanes ISD – 96.61%
- Elgin ISD – 96.98%
- Florence ISD – 92.31%
- Fredericksburg ISD – 93.17%
- Georgetown ISD – 94.68%
- Giddings ISD – 100%
- Harper ISD – 94.87%
- Hays CISD – 96.65%
- Hutto ISD – 96.46%
- La Grange ISD – 95.16%
- Lago Vista ISD – 93.58%
- Lake Travis ISD – 92.30%
- Leander ISD – 94.56%
- Lexington ISD – 91.67%
- Liberty Hill ISD – 93.61%
- Llano ISD – 92.06%
- Lockhart ISD – 97.11%
- Luling ISD – 96.40%
- Manor ISD – 94.90%
- Marble Falls ISD – 95.95%
- McDade ISD – 91.30%
- Pflugerville ISD – 99.88%
- Rockdale ISD – 95.05%
- Round Rock ISD – 96.61%
- Round Top-Carmine ISD – 100%
- San Marcos CISD – 95.27%
- Taylor ISD – 96.89%
- Thorndale ISD – 94.12%
- Thrall ISD – 86.54%
- Wimberley ISD – 80.59%
Since the outbreak began in late January, DSHS has been providing updates twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.