Texas is dealing with several viral threats at once in 2025, but the biggest story is a measles outbreak that has produced at least 481 confirmed cases across ten counties since January. Alongside measles, seasonal influenza continues to circulate, COVID-19 remains detectable in wastewater systems, and mosquito-borne West Nile virus is already generating significant case counts.
Measles Outbreak Across West Texas
The most urgent viral situation in Texas right now is a fast-growing measles outbreak concentrated in the western part of the state. As of early April 2025, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has confirmed at least 481 cases, with 95 percent of them in ten designated outbreak counties: Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry, and Yoakum. Lubbock is the largest city on that list, and several of the surrounding rural counties have seen sustained person-to-person transmission.
Houston has also reported three confirmed measles cases since March 2025. The most recent involved an unvaccinated infant exposed during international travel who was hospitalized and later discharged. The Houston Health Department is urging anyone who develops symptoms, including high fever, cough, and a spreading red rash, to call a healthcare provider before visiting a clinic or emergency room so staff can take precautions against further exposure.
Measles spreads through the air and is extraordinarily contagious. An infected person can transmit the virus to roughly 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people they come into close contact with. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing infection. If you’re traveling to any of the affected counties or internationally, early vaccination is available and recommended for children as young as 6 months, with a second dose possible as soon as 28 days after the first.
Influenza A Still Circulating
Flu season in Texas has been driven largely by influenza A, specifically the H3N2 subtype, which accounts for a large portion of reported cases this year. H3N2 seasons tend to hit older adults harder than H1N1-dominant years, and they often produce more hospitalizations overall. Symptoms are the standard flu package: sudden fever, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, and cough. Most healthy adults recover within one to two weeks, but the very young, the elderly, and people with chronic conditions face higher risks of complications like pneumonia.
If you haven’t been vaccinated this season and flu is still circulating in your area, the vaccine still offers some protection, particularly against severe illness. Antiviral medications work best when started within 48 hours of symptom onset, so prompt testing matters if you suspect flu rather than a cold.
COVID-19 Remains in the Background
SARS-CoV-2 hasn’t disappeared from Texas. Major metro areas like Houston continue to monitor the virus through wastewater surveillance, which tracks viral particles in sewage as an early warning system for rising infections. While COVID is no longer causing the emergency-level surges of previous years, it continues to circulate at varying levels and can spike seasonally. The current dominant variants are descendants of the Omicron lineage, which tend to cause milder illness in vaccinated or previously infected individuals but can still lead to serious outcomes for immunocompromised people.
If you develop cold-like symptoms with loss of taste or smell, or unusually severe fatigue, a rapid test can help distinguish COVID from the flu or a common cold. Updated vaccines targeting recent variants are available for anyone six months and older.
West Nile Virus and Mosquito Season
Texas leads the nation in West Nile virus cases nearly every year, and 2025 is no exception. The CDC has already recorded 127 human cases of West Nile disease in Texas this year. The virus spreads through mosquito bites, not person to person, and most people who are infected never develop symptoms. About 1 in 5 will get a fever, headache, and body aches. Roughly 1 in 150 develops a severe neurological illness that can include encephalitis or meningitis.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for West Nile. Prevention comes down to avoiding mosquito bites: using EPA-registered repellent, wearing long sleeves during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, and eliminating standing water around your home where mosquitoes breed. Texas summers are prime mosquito season, so these numbers will likely climb through the fall.
Bird Flu in Dairy Workers
Texas confirmed its first human case of avian influenza A (H5N1) in March 2024, in a person who became ill after contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected. It was only the second H5N1 case identified in a person in the United States. The virus has been circulating among dairy herds in Texas and other states, raising ongoing concern about occupational exposure for farmworkers.
H5N1 does not currently spread easily between people. The risk to the general public remains low. Pasteurized dairy products are safe to consume because the pasteurization process inactivates the virus. The primary concern is for people who work directly with infected poultry or cattle, who should use protective equipment and report any flu-like symptoms to their employer and healthcare provider promptly.
How to Tell What You Might Have
With so many viruses circulating simultaneously, symptom overlap can make self-diagnosis tricky. A few distinguishing features can help narrow things down:
- Measles typically starts with high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes, followed a few days later by a distinctive rash that begins on the face and spreads downward.
- Flu hits suddenly with fever, chills, muscle aches, and exhaustion. It rarely causes a rash.
- COVID-19 often involves congestion, sore throat, and fatigue. Loss of taste or smell, while less common with newer variants, still occurs in some cases.
- West Nile causes fever, headache, and body aches without respiratory symptoms. Stiff neck or confusion signals a severe case requiring emergency care.
Rapid tests for flu and COVID are widely available at pharmacies and clinics. Measles requires a blood test or viral swab, usually ordered by a healthcare provider. If you’re unsure, testing is the fastest way to get a clear answer and the right treatment.