Officials in Central Texas are warning the public about a possible spread of measles as they say a person who visited the area had tested positive for the disease. The Hays County Health Department claimed Sunday that the patient is an individual who was in San Marcos—about 30 miles southwest of Austin—and spent time at a local college and restaurant between 3 p.

Two Texas universities and their surrounding communities have issued warnings about potential exposure to measles after giving campus tours to at least one person who tested positive for the virus. Experts have been tracking the measles outbreak in Gaines County since late January.

Possible measles exposures happened at various locations in San Antonio, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. On Saturday, Feb. 15. The individual who tested positive for the virus visited multiple locations in the San Antonio area.

A growing number of Central Texas health departments are warning residents of possible exposure to measles, the latest sign that the outbreak in West Texas is spreading across the state. Why it matters: Measles is a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease that has surged in areas with high vaccination exemption rates.

Parts of Texas and New Mexico have been struck by measles outbreaks, sickening nearly 100 people, health officials announced last week. The Texas Department of State Health Services said Friday that 90 cases have been identified in the state since January,

Texas’ largest outbreak of measles in 30 years has reached 90 cases, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Friday. Thirty-two cases have been added since the department’s update earlier this week,

The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000 "thanks to a very high percentage of people receiving the safe and effective measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine," the CDC said, but now U.S. coverage among children of kindergarten age is below the 95 percent coverage target, which creates a higher risk for outbreaks of the virus.

As of Feb. 20, there were a total of 93 measles cases reported in eight states: Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island and Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For comparison, 285 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2024.