Texas measles outbreak: Spread appears to slow in West Texas

The measles outbreak in West Texas appears to be slowing, according to newly released data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Officials reported seven new cases in connection to the West Texas outbreak. That's the smallest increase since the state started doing twice-weekly updates on case numbers in February.

READ MORE: Measles outbreak spreads to 11th state: The latest

 A total of 709 cases linked to West Texas have been reported since late January.

Texas measles outbreak update

The Latest:

State health officials reported seven new cases of measles on Friday.

Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, did not report any new cases. The county has reported 403 cases. The county accounts for more than half of the state's cases.

Six of the seven new cases were reported in El Paso County, which now has seen 50 cases. The seventh case was in Lamar County.

Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry and Yoakum counties have been designated as "outbreak counties" by DSHS. Garza and Lynn counties were removed from the list.

There have been 92 patients hospitalized since the outbreak started. The state says these hospitalizations are from earlier in the outbreak, and the numbers may increase as DSHS receives records for earlier cases. The number of people currently in the hospital for measles has not been released.

Since January, 17 cases have been reported in people who were considered fully vaccinated and 13 cases in people who only had one dose of the vaccine. 677 of the 709 people who tested positive were unvaccinated.

In Texas, two school-aged children have died from complications with the measles. Both were not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions, state health officials said.

By the numbers:

Here are the total cases by county:

• Gaines County: 403
• Lubbock County: 51
• Lynn County: 2
• Terry County: 60 
• Yoakum County: 20 
• Dawson County: 26
• Ector County: 11
• Dallam County: 7
• Martin County: 3
• Cochran County : 14
• Lamar County: 19 (+1 since last report)
• Garza County: 2
• Hale County: 6 
• Hockley County: 6
• Lamb County: 1
• Andrews County: 3
• Midland County: 3
• Brown County: 1
• Erath County: 1
• Borden County: 1
• Randall County: 1
• El Paso County: 50 (+6 since last report)
• Reeves County: 1
• Parmer County: 5 
• Potter County: 2
• Bailey County: 2
• Eastland County: 2
• Hardeman County: 1
• Upshur County: 5

Here are the total cases by age:

• 0-4 years: 210 cases (+3 since last report)
• 5-17 years: 257 cases (+2 since last report)
• 18+: 223 cases (+4 since last report)
• Unknown: 19 cases (-2 since last report)

READ MORE: Measles vaccination rates in Texas: Find your school district.

Here is the vaccination status of the patients:

• Not Vaccinated/unknown status: 677 (+7)
• Vaccinated with one dose: 13
• Vaccinated with two or more doses: 17

What's next:

The Texas Department of State Health Services releases case updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Other measles cases in Texas

There have been other cases reported in Texas, but officials say they were not connected to the outbreak in West Texas.

• Atascosa County: 1
• Brazoria County: 1
• Collin County: 1
• Denton County: 1
• Fort Bend County: 1
• Harris County: 4
• Rockwall County: 2
• Shackleford County: 1
• Tarrant County: 2 
• Travis County: 2

What is measles?

Why you should care:

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. 

Measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. 

Illness onset (high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes) begins a week or two after someone is exposed. A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. 

A person is contagious from about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People with measles should stay home from work or school during that period.

Symptoms of Measles

Common symptoms of measles include: 

• High fever (as high as 105°F)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red and watery eyes
• Tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth 2-3 days after symptoms begin
• Rash 3-5 days after other signs of illness. The "measles rash" typically starts at the face and then spreads down to the rest of the body.

How to prevent getting measles

The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.

Some vaccinated people can occasionally develop measles; however, they generally experience milder symptoms and are less likely to spread the disease to other people.

What to do if you've been exposed to measles

If you think you have measles or have been exposed to someone with measles, isolate yourself from others and call your healthcare provider before arriving to be tested so they can prepare for your arrival without exposing other people to the virus. Measles is extremely contagious and can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. Review your and your child’s vaccination history to see if you are up-to-date on your measles vaccines. Additionally, discuss with your provider your vaccination history and any questions about these vaccines.

Controlling outbreaks in group settings

• People with confirmed or suspected measles should stay home from school, work, and other group settings until after the fourth day of rash onset.
• During an outbreak, people without documented immunity from vaccination or previous measles infection should be isolated from anyone with measles to protect those without immunity and control the outbreak.
• According to the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Rule §97.7, schools and childcare settings shall exclude unimmunized children for at least 21 days after the last date the unimmunized child was exposed to a measles case.

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