Still, the county-wide number obscures pockets of yet lower vaccination rates. That includes the independent public school district in Loop, in the northeast corner of Gaines, which had a vaccination rate of 46 percent in the 2023–2024 school year.
Holbrooks noted that the county has a large religious community with private religious schools. These may have yet lower vaccination rates. Holbrooks said that, so far, the measles cases being seen and traced in the outbreak are linked to those private schools.
Public health response
To try to prevent disease transmission, Holbrooks and other state and local officials are getting the word out about the outbreak and running vaccination clinics.
→ Continue reading at Ars Technica