Sixth Measles Case Confirmed in a New Mexico Jail

Key TakeawaysNew Mexico now has six confirmed measles casesAll cases involve federal detainees in three different jailsHealth officials urge people to check their vaccination status.FRIDAY, March 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Health officials in New Mexico say the state now has six confirmed measles cases, including a newly reported case linked to a jail in Las Cruces.The latest case involves a federal detainee at the Doña Ana County Detention Center, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.Officials say people who visited the U.S. District Court building in Las Cruces on Feb. 24 may have been exposed to the virus.Anyone who was there that day should check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms until March 17, health officials said.“The New Mexico Department of Health continues to urge people to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination," Dr. Chad Smelser, the state’s deputy epidemiologist, said. "Vaccine is the best tool to protect you from measles.”All six confirmed infections so far have been among federal detainees held in local jails, NBC News reported.The first case was identified Feb. 25 at the Hidalgo County Detention Center after a detainee tested positive at the state health department’s laboratory. The person’s vaccination status was unknown.Two days later, four more cases were confirmed: Another detainee at the same jail, two detainees in the Luna County Detention Center and one detainee in the Doña Ana County Detention Center.Both the Luna County and Doña Ana facilities are local jails that also house people detained for federal immigration enforcement.Smelser said vaccination teams have now been sent to all three facilities.Health officials are "coordinating with all the facilities to assure all quarantine, isolation, testing and vaccination protocols are followed to minimize risk of measles spread," Smelser said.Measles spreads through the air and is highly contagious. Early symptoms often include runny nose, fever, cough, red eyes and a blotchy skin rash.Symptoms usually appear 1 to 3 weeks after exposure, health officials say.These are the first measles cases reported in New Mexico this year. In 2025, a statewide outbreak sickened about 100 people between mid-February and mid-September.The cases come as measles infections are increasing across the United States.More than 1,000 measles cases have already been reported nationwide during the first two months of the year, according to tracking data compiled by NBC News.That is nearly half the total number of cases reported during all of last year.New outbreaks have also been reported in other states.In Texas, officials recently confirmed at least 14 measles cases inside Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility located on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso.An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told NBC News that people who tested positive were “cohorted and separated from the rest of the detained population to prevent further spread.”More informationThe Occupational Safety and Health Administration has more on measles.SOURCE: NBC News, March 5, 2026.What This Means For YouMeasles cases are rapidly increasing across the U.S. Experts say two doses of the MMR vaccine provide strong protection against the disease..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Sixth Measles Case Confirmed in a New Mexico Jail

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