Positive measles sample found in Roswell wastewater testing
Story continues below
New Mexico Crime Files: Grocery store worker hands out semen-tainted yogurt
Film: These productions were filmed at White Sands. Have you seen them?
New Mexico News Insiders: Who Will Fix New Mexico's Mental Health Problems?
News: Governor's Office: Operation Zia Shield is different than situation in California
The sample does not represent an official measles case, according to the NMDOH. However, the department says it serves as a reminder for Chaves County residents to check on their MMR vaccination.
There are currently 81 measles cases reported in New Mexico. The last laboratory-confirmed case in Chaves County was on April 5. 'While wastewater testing cannot tell us the timing, location or number of people infected with measles, this detection tells us there was at least one person infectious with measles in Roswell around June 3 and puts us on notice there may be more cases in Chaves County in the coming days,' said Dr. Daniel Sosin, NMDOH medical epidemiologist.
NMDOH carries out weekly wastewater measles testing in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, Carlsbad, Chaparral, Deming, Las Cruces, Portales, Rincon, Rio Rancho, Roswell, Santa Fe and the South Central treatment plant in Doña Ana County.
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed by a red spotted rash that usually starts on the head or face and spreads down the body. Anyone with symptoms is asked to stay home and contact their health provider, or the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773).
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'We have forgotten how serious measles can be'
Health officials are urging parents in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to check their children are fully vaccinated against measles. NHS figures reveal uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab has fallen across the two regions. Grimsby GP Dr Nathalie Dukes said: "The evidence is clear that the increase in the number of people who are getting infected is coinciding with the rates of vaccination dropping." Dr Dukes said she believed one of the reasons behind the fall in vaccination numbers is that people have "forgotten how serious conditions like measles can be". She said: "We have come to the luxurious position where up until recently these conditions were not really around anymore. "We didn't see many cases so it was out of our remit of relevance to a degree. "Information overload is another factor. I think people have got a bit vaccine fatigue since Covid in terms of being told what to do and in terms of concerns, so people have maybe taken that to childhood vaccinations as well." Measles is a highly contagious disease spread when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes and it can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications in some people, including infections of the lungs and brain. The target set by the World Health Organisation to prevent the spread of measles through herd immunity is a 95% overall vaccination rate. Latest NHS figures show 83% of children received their second dose of the MMR vaccine by the age of five in North Lincolnshire and Hull in 2023/24 - down from 91% in 2013/14. Uptake is also 83% in Lincolnshire - 4% lower than 10 years ago, while rates have also dropped by 4% to 91% in North East Lincolnshire. In 2024, there were more than 2,900 confirmed measles cases in England - the highest number of cases recorded annually since 2012. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 529 confirmed cases reported in England, according to figures by the UK Health Security Agency. In July, a child died at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital after contracting the disease. Birmingham experienced an outbreak, with government figures showing 26 confirmed cases between January and June, while Bristol had recorded the most cases to date outside London with 11% of the national total. Speaking at a children's play centre in Hull, mum-of-two Lily Kemp said it was important to make sure children were fully vaccinated against infections, such as measles. She said: "I think social media doesn't help because people share their experiences and some might comment on the short-term effects rather than the long-term benefits of what they're protecting against if they get vaccinated." A joint statement from the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Hull City Council said: "While the majority of children are protected, there remain pockets of low uptake that increase the risk of measles outbreaks. "Vaccination remains the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella. "We urge all parents and carers to check their child's Red Book or contact their GP if they are unsure whether their child is up to date." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices Related internet stories Measles holiday warning as cases rise in Europe Child dies at Alder Hey after contracting measles Why are measles cases rising in the UK? Related internet links NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB Hull City Council
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Research sheds light on bacteria outbreak that killed 1 person, several ABQ BioPark Zoo primates
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A bacterial outbreak in Albuquerque between May 2021 and November 2023 that spread among people and primates from the ABQ BioPark Zoo, came from the same source, according to newly published research. The illness that plagued the community was determined to be shigella, a highly contagious gastrointestinal infection that is spread through the fecal-oral route and can be contracted by drinking contaminated food or water or coming into contact with someone who is sick or recently infected with shigellosis. Story continues below Education: APS Board members respond after vulgar text messages sent during board meeting New Mexico News Insiders: PFAS: The Most Contaminated Waters In New Mexico Trending: Albuquerque officials discuss moving historic diner to Route 66 Visitor Center The shigella outbreak left one person dead, and nearly 70% of people with the infection were hospitalized, according to the research article. The infection spread into the zoo, resulting in the death of six primates and leaving others infected. Upon learning of the outbreak, BioPark and NMDOH staff worked together to address the spread among both populations. Researchers were able to learn more about the outbreak, how it spread, and where it may have come from. The research team started by analyzing gene sequence samples from infected humans and primates. 'In looking at the genomes between human cases and the primate cases, we were able to see that in that there were zero differences. So there is no way that happens by chance. That means that they were the same strain of Shigella that was circulating in the zoo and in the human population,' said Sarah Shrum Davis, emerging infections program foodnet coordinator for the UNM Office of Community Health, and an NMDOH enteric team lead. Based on the data, Shrum Davis, and researchers were able to conclude the Shigella outbreak came from the same source, was introduced around February 2021, and possibly came from Texas. ' 'So bacteria evolve at a certain rate, and so Shigella evolves at a rate of about three mutations per year. We were able to look at the genetic sequences of our Shigella bacteria, and the closest strain that matched them did occur in Texas. And so by doing it by looking at the evolutionary rate of the bacteria, this is called a molecular clock, we were able to backtrace about when we think it was introduced into New Mexico,' she explained. According to Shrum Davis, cases of Shigella are reported year-round across the state of New Mexico. But what caught health officials' attention was the sharp uptick in cases in the Albuquerque area in both humans and primates around May 2021. NMDOH began investigating and alerted doctors that the strain was resistant to the first line of antibiotics that are used for treatment, and that they should potentially try and use other drugs to treat patients in this area. The City of Albuquerque also set up portable hand-washing stations to prevent the spread, Shrum Davis said. As for the ABQ BioPark, it had temporarily closed the Ape Walk while it provided medicine and care to its primates, including orangutans, siamangs, and gorillas. Unfortunately, some of the treatments did not work. 'I was disappointed and heartbroken when some of our animals were not getting better as quickly as I had hoped,' Carol Bradford, the senior veterinarian at the ABQ BioPark Zoo, said in an interview with UNM Health Sciences. 'Even though they were treated with appropriate antibiotics, the antibiotics didn't seem to make them feel better very quickly.' Bradford said there were 13 animals that were affected by the illness over the course of several weeks. 'What we do not think happened, and we want to be really clear about this, is that we don't think that there is any intentional exposure, and we don't think that, you know, anybody sort of had like contact with animals that they shouldn't have or anything like that. No keepers were sick,' said Shrum Davis. Researchers still do not know how the bacteria spread to the primates, but they do have a guess. 'Our leading hypotheses are that, you know, somebody who, you know, had the Shigella bacteria on their hands threw something into the primate areas and contaminated that way. We also do wonder about the potential of things like house flies bringing it in. Although the zoo does trap for flies, you know, at a certain point, there's only so much you can do,' Shrum Davis explained. The ABQ BioPark Zoo does have signs warning visitors not to throw food or other items into enclosures. To view the published research article, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Measles case reported in Santa Fe County
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Another measles case has been confirmed in New Mexico with possible exposure in the metro. The New Mexico Department of Health said an unvaccinated 10-year-old in Santa Fe County contracted the virus during a trip out of the country. People may have been exposed at Cliff's Amusement Park in Albuquerque on July 17. Research sheds light on bacteria outbreak that killed 1 person, several ABQ BioPark Zoo primates That brings the total number of measles cases in the state to 96. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword