As measles cases in West Texas are still on the rise two months after the outbreak began, local public health officials say they expect the virus to keep spreading for at least several more months and that the official case number is likely an undercount.

Vaccination efforts have faltered, and many residents have turned to alternative treatments endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary.

A measles outbreak that began in Texas at the start of the year has infected over 300 people as of Tuesday, as cases of the highly contagious illness have been spotted in 17 states and already exceeded the total number of measles cases reported in 2024.