Measles Exposure Scare in San Antonio Amid West Texas Outbreak

San Antonio, TX – If you spent the Valentine’s Day weekend strolling the River Walk or visiting the UTSA campus, you might have been in the unwitting company of the measles virus. Local health officials revealed this week that a tourist from West Texas later tested positive for measles, potentially exposing hundreds of thousands of San Antonians and visitors to the highly contagious disease​. While no local cases have been confirmed yet, this scare comes as Texas grapples with its largest measles outbreak in 30 years​ – an outbreak that has already infected over 120 people and tragically claimed the life of an unvaccinated child in Lubbock​

In this post, we’ll break down what happened during the measles exposure in San Antonio, the background of the wider outbreak, and why health experts are on alert. We’ll also look at how the community is responding and what you can do to stay safe. Let’s dive in, in a casual (but informative) way.

How a Weekend Tourist Visit Led to a Measles Scare

The measles exposure in San Antonio traces back to a Valentine’s Day weekend visit by a traveler from Gaines County, a rural area in West Texas. According to San Antonio’s Metropolitan Health District, this person was contagious with measles during their trip on February 15-16 and visited several popular spots around town. Here’s a quick rundown of the visitor’s itinerary and potential exposure sites:

• UTSA Main Campus (Feb. 15, ~10 a.m.–2 p.m.): The visitor attended a UTSA open house event that Saturday​. (UTSA later alerted students about the exposure.)

• Downtown Tourist Attractions (Feb. 15, ~2:30–5:30 p.m.): They hit up some attractions near the Alamo and River Walk – including Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and a couple of other museums​ – places that draw big crowds of locals and tourists alike.

• Mr. Crabby’s Bar in Live Oak (Feb. 15, ~6–8 p.m.): That evening, the visitor dined at a seafood bar in Live Oak (a suburb on San Antonio’s northeast side)​.

• Buc-ee’s in New Braunfels (Feb. 16): The next day, they stopped at the popular Buc-ee’s travel center off I-35​ – a bustling gas station and shop that thousands of travelers pass through.

Health officials say there’s a “very good possibility” that hundreds of thousands of people came into contact with this measles-infected individual during that weekend​. After all, these sites – a university campus, tourist hotspots, a restaurant, and a busy highway stop – were teeming with people enjoying their weekend. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and the virus can linger in the air for up to two hours afterward​. That means someone could walk into a room even an hour after the sick person left and still catch it.

City health authorities sounded the alarm on Sunday, Feb. 23, once the visitor’s measles diagnosis was confirmed. So far, no measles cases have been reported in Bexar County (San Antonio) as a result of this exposure, and officials are cautiously optimistic​. Metro Health noted that San Antonio hasn’t seen a measles infection since 2017​. Still, they’ve urged anyone who was at those locations on the dates above to monitor for symptoms (more on those in a bit) and check their vaccination records. Several school districts, including San Antonio ISD and Northside ISD, quickly sent notices to parents reminding them of measles precautions – for example, keeping kids with fever at home and making sure immunizations are up to date​. UTSA officials also notified students and staff about the exposure on campus, out of “an abundance of caution.” In short, the city has been put on high alert, even though (thankfully) no one here is sick so far.

West Texas Outbreak: The Bigger Picture

Why the sudden measles case in Texas? It turns out San Antonio’s scare is part of a much larger measles outbreak unfolding in West Texas. Since late January, over 120 measles cases have been confirmed across at least nine Texas counties​, making this the biggest outbreak the state has seen in decades. The epicenter is Gaines County – the visitor’s home – which by itself accounts for the majority of cases (around 80)​. Most of those infected are children and teens. As of this week, the outbreak has even spread beyond Texas: neighboring New Mexico has reported additional cases linked to the same cluster​.

A sign directs people to a measles testing site in Seminole, Texas, amid the West Texas outbreak. Health workers set up such signs as dozens of cases emerged in Gaines County​. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has been scrambling to contain the outbreak. They’ve confirmed cases in a string of rural counties on the South Plains (the northwest Panhandle region) and recently issued alerts for Central Texas communities (like San Marcos, New Braunfels, and San Antonio) after learning about the contagious visitor’s road trip​. In Lubbock, hospitals have been treating children with serious measles complications (some needing oxygen and IV fluids)​. Tragically, this week the first U.S. measles death in a decade was recorded when a school-aged child in Lubbock – who was unvaccinated – died from the infection​. (The last time anyone died of measles in the U.S. was 2015, underscoring how rare – and serious – such outcomes are​.)

Public health investigators have traced the origins of the outbreak to a “close-knit, under-vaccinated” Mennonite community in Gaines County​. Many families in this community homeschool their kids and don’t routinely vaccinate or seek medical care, according to state health officials​. With less than half of local children vaccinated in some schools there (one tiny school district in Gaines had an MMR vaccination rate of only ~46% last year)​, the virus found an opening and spread like wildfire. “In tight-knit communities with low vaccination rates, a measles outbreak should be somewhat expected,” one infectious disease expert noted​. The virus then began jumping to other areas as people traveled – leading to cases across West Texas and now these exposure events in Central Texas.

A Virus From the Past, Back with a Vengeance

Measles might sound like a disease from the history books – and indeed, the United States declared measles eliminated in 2000 thanks to decades of vaccination​. But as vaccine hesitancy has grown in some groups, pockets of vulnerability have appeared, allowing measles to roar back. “It’s a bad illness… Unfortunately, Texas is the epicenter of it because of our very aggressive anti-vaccine movement,” says Dr. Peter Hotez, a prominent vaccine expert at Baylor College of Medicine​. He noted that about 20% of recent cases have required hospitalization, emphasizing that measles is not a trivial sickness​.

So what makes measles such a big deal? For one, it is extremely contagious – one of the most contagious viruses known. Nine out of ten unvaccinated people who share space with an infected person will catch it​. The virus spreads through tiny droplets in the air, and an infected person can transmit it four days before they even show a rash​. (In other words, you can feel perfectly fine, be out shopping or at school, and be spreading measles without knowing it.) Measles symptoms start like a bad cold: high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes​. Then comes the hallmark red, spotty rash, which typically begins on the face and spreads downward over the body​. By the time the rash appears, the person has likely been contagious for days. Most people recover after a miserable week or two. But complications can be severe, especially for infants, pregnant women, and those with weak immune systems​. Measles can cause pneumonia, brain swelling, and in some cases death. Health officials point out that historically, 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 measles patients in the U.S. have died from it​ – and in this Texas outbreak we have already lost one child.

San Antonio Reacts: Vigilance and Vaccinations

Back in San Antonio, the measles scare has put the community on alert, but also highlighted the strength of our local vaccination efforts. Bexar County (which encompasses San Antonio) actually has relatively high immunization rates overall – about 94% of children are vaccinated against measles by the time they enter school​. That’s pretty good, and not far off from the “herd immunity” threshold of 95% that experts say is needed to protect the whole community​. Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease specialist at UT Health San Antonio, explains that having around 95% of people vaccinated creates a protective buffer that stops the virus from finding new hosts, thereby shielding those who can’t be vaccinated (like newborn babies or certain immune-compromised patients)​. “Two doses will get you to 97% protection,” Dr. Bowling notes, and for most people that protection is lifelong​.

That said, 94% is just below the ideal mark, and not all schools or neighborhoods are equally protected. In fact, recent data shows 26 local school systems fall below the 95% vaccination rate needed for herd immunity​. Many are small private or charter schools, where opt-outs are more common. For example, a few San Antonio schools had measles vaccination rates in the 70%–80% range, and one Montessori school was as low as 40%. These pockets of low vaccination are exactly what worries health officials – if measles sneaks into those groups, it could spread quickly. It’s a stark contrast to public schools like Northside ISD or Edgewood ISD, which overall are around 94–95% but still just shy of the goal​.

A student receives a dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. Health officials note that two doses of MMR are about 97% effective at preventing measles​. Given the scare, local doctors and public health experts are doubling down on messages about vaccination and vigilance. Measles is entirely preventable with the MMR vaccine, which is usually given in two doses in childhood (the first around 12 months old, the second around age 4–5)​. The vaccine is very safe and has been used for decades​. If you’re an adult and unsure of your vaccination status, now’s a good time to check your records – most people born before the late 1980s likely got the shots, but if you didn’t or if you’ve traveled overseas extensively, you might want to talk to your doctor. In Bexar County, Metro Health offers immunizations, and pharmacies and clinics can administer the MMR vaccine as well.

Meanwhile, the city and schools are continuing to educate the public on what to do. Here are a few key takeaways and tips in light of the recent exposure:

• Know the Symptoms: Be alert for fever, coughing, runny nose, red eyes, and rash​. Symptoms show up about 1–2 weeks after exposure. If you or your child develops these, contact a doctor before just walking into a clinic (to avoid exposing others).

• Stay Home If Sick: Local schools follow “fever-free” guidelines – meaning kids should stay home until a fever subsides for 24 hours​. This helps prevent spreading any illness, not just measles.

• Check Your Vaccination Status: Ensure you and your family have received the full MMR vaccine series. Two doses are ~97% effective​. If you haven’t had two doses, it’s not too late to get caught up.

• Protect the Vulnerable: If you have a baby younger than 12 months (too young for the vaccine) or someone with a weakened immune system at home, be extra cautious about exposing them. Herd immunity only works if the herd (that’s us!) keeps its immunity up.

City clinics have been on standby to handle any potential cases. So far, so good – as of this writing (Feb. 27), San Antonio has zero confirmed measles cases. Metro Health officials are continuing to monitor the situation closely for the next few weeks, since the incubation period for measles can be about 7-14 days. The hope is that our community’s relatively high vaccination rate will keep the virus from gaining any foothold here, despite that visitor’s wide-ranging tour of the town.

Looking Ahead

The measles scare in San Antonio has been a wake-up call for many. Diseases like measles don’t stop at county lines, and an outbreak in one part of Texas can quickly become everyone’s problem in this interconnected world. The incident also highlights how crucial it is to maintain high vaccination rates. San Antonio’s overall preparedness is encouraging – the quick public alerts and school district responses show that local authorities take these threats seriously. And thanks to vaccines, most people who encountered the virus during that Valentine’s weekend are very likely protected and won’t get sick​.

Still, the experience serves as a reminder that we can’t be complacent. Measles was thought to be “fixed” decades ago, yet here we are dealing with it again in 2025. As Dr. Anita Kurian of Metro Health aptly put it, “So long as measles exists in other communities – other states, even other countries – there is cause for concern”​. The good news is we have the tools to prevent it. By staying informed, watching for symptoms, and keeping up with vaccinations, San Antonio can dodge this measles bullet and keep our community safe.

Sources:

1. Metro Health & KSAT News – “What to know about a potential measles exposure in San Antonio area”​

2. KSAT News – “Tourist may have exposed ‘hundreds of thousands’ of people in San Antonio to measles”​

3. Texas Dept. of State Health Services & AP via KSAT – Unvaccinated child’s measles death in Lubbock (first U.S. measles death since 2015)​

4. Texas Tribune – “First death in West Texas measles outbreak… More than 120 people… largest Texas outbreak in 30 years.”​

5. Texas Tribune – Measles elimination in 2000 and return due to vaccine hesitancy; Gaines County low rates (Mennonite community)​

6. Reuters – Comments by Texas health officials and Dr. Hotez on outbreak’s origins and severity in Texas​

7. Texas Public Radio – Bexar County vaccination rates and schools below herd immunity threshold​

8. KSAT Q&A – Dr. Jason Bowling on vaccine effectiveness and herd immunity threshold (~95%)​

9. KSAT & CDC – Measles contagion and symptoms info​