More than two-thirds of respondents in a new poll say they are concerned about the measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, 69 percent of respondents say they are concerned about the outbreak, including 36 percent who say they’re “very” concerned and 33 percent who say they’re “somewhat” concerned.
Meanwhile, 15 percent of respondents say they are “not so concerned” and 14 percent say they’re “not concerned at all.”
The poll comes as the deadly outbreak in West Texas continues to grow. As of Tuesday, Texas confirmed 223 measles cases since January — up from 198 confirmed cases last week.
At least 29 Texans — mostly children — have been hospitalized after contracting the virus. And one unvaccinated school-age child has died. A second unvaccinated death is under investigation in New Mexico, where 33 cases of the measles have been confirmed. On Tuesday, Oklahoma reported its first two cases.
The outbreak in Texas has spread in an area with a large community of Mennonites, many of whom reject conventional medicine such as vaccines. The church itself does not hold an anti-vaccine stance. The outbreak also comes amid a broader rise in vaccine skepticism.
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is required for most children entering kindergarten in U.S. public schools, but Texas allows children to get exemptions from the requirement for religious or other conscience-related reasons. As a result, the percentage of children with exemptions in Texas has risen from 0.76 percent in 2014 to 2.32 percent in 2024, The Associated Press reported, citing state data.
In Gaines County, where more than two-thirds of Texas’s confirmed cases are located, nearly 14 percent of schoolchildren opted out of at least one required vaccine in the 2023-24 school year, according to the AP. One school district was found to have a K-12 vaccine exemption rate of 47.95 percent.
Support for accommodating vaccine exemptions in schoolchildren has risen over the past decade, even as experts point to a strong correlation between lower vaccination rates and a recurrence of the disease.
A majority, 57 percent, of respondents in the Quinnipiac survey say children who have not gotten standard vaccinations should not be allowed to attend schools and other childcare facilities. More than a third, 35 percent, say they should be allowed.
In a March 2015 poll, a much higher percentage of respondents — 70 percent — said unvaccinated children should not be allowed in schools and child care facilities, while 23 percent said they should be allowed.
“There is palpable worry over the spread of measles and opposition to allowing students to come to school without having been vaccinated,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement.
“But concerned or not, there is a big shift from a decade ago when voters were not as willing to open the classroom doors,” he added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on March 7 that “more cases are expected as this outbreak continues to expand rapidly.”
“The risk for widespread measles in the United States remains low due to robust U.S. immunization and surveillance programs and outbreak response capacity,” the CDC added.
The March 6-10 survey includes 1,198 self-identified registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.8 points.
