Does weather help measles outbreaks spread?
An ongoing deadly measles outbreak in Texas began after the recent record cold and snow event. Several studies on measles in China found links to outbreaks before or after a cold spell. Other studies found wind and humidity can have an influences on measles spreading.
Watch: Snowy Houston skyline observed as winter storm slams Texas
FILE VIDEO: A video shared by FOX Weather Meteorologist Kiyana Lewis shows a snowy Houston skyline as a deadly winter storm slams Texas and sweeps across the South on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
GAINES COUNTY, Texas – An ongoing deadly measles outbreak in Texas began in January after a powerful storm brought snow to the Gulf states, and several recent studies have found that weather can contribute to the spread of the measles virus.
According to Texas Health and Human Services, the first cases of measles were reported in school-age children in Gaines County, Texas, on Jan. 23. More than a month later, cases across the Lone Star state have reached nine counties and infected 124 people. Nearly all the cases have been in the South Plains and Panhandle regions. Only five of the patients were vaccinated.
A school-age child in Lubbock who was not vaccinated died this week after testing positive for measles last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
The Texas Tribune reports the virus has concentrated on the Mennonite community in Gaines County, where some of the public schools have the highest vaccine exemption rates in Texas.
FILE: The MMR vaccine for measles, mumps or rubella at Logan Square Health Center in Chicago in 2019. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Just ahead of the first reported cases in Texas, a historic blizzard ripped across the Gulf Coast, bringing record cold and snow to the region.
While Texas health officials have said this outbreak is tied to unvaccinated communities, several recent studies have looked at how weather might play a role in measles outbreaks.
A 2014 study based on a measles outbreak in Guangzhou, China found that both increased hot or cold temperatures can decrease the number of cases, but that the virus survives better with low relative humidity and becomes a risk factor for possible death from the virus.
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"An increased number of measles cases might occur before and after a cold spell," the study authors wrote. "Our findings highlight the need to pay more attention to the weather transformation and improve the immunity of susceptible populations for measles elimination. Catch-up vaccination campaigns should be initiated among young adults."
Measles is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with droplets from an infected person or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. According to the CDC, the virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after the infected person is in the area.
Another study published in 2023 also looked at meteorological factors by studying the weather data, including wind, temperature and humidity.
The study looked at cases across 136 counties in Shandong Province, China, a region on the eastern coast with a "warm temperate monsoon climate." Researchers found a tie to measles cases with the season, peaking in March and April.
Meanwhile, other research has found that high wind events that contribute to the long-distance transportation of air pollutants can also raise the local measles virus aerosol level.
Both study authors said more research is needed to understand the ties to weather and measles.