Young child treated in Houston for suspected case of measles

A young child is being treated at Texas Children's Hospital for a suspected case of measles, city health officials say.

The City of Houston Health Department says a child between the ages of 1 and 3 years old has a suspected case of measles. Officials say the child did travel internationally recently.

Texas Children's Hospital says a patient at Texas Children's Hospital West Campus tested positive for measles. The hospital's Infection Control and Prevention team has contacted families of children who may have come in contact with the patient to assess their risk and provide recommendations, the hospital says.

The last confirmed case of measles in Houston was in 2013.

Texas Children's Hospital released this statement:

A patient treated at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus tested positive for measles. This is a highly-contagious, vaccine-preventable infection. We know vaccination is the best protection against measles.

We work closely with public health entities to continuously monitor highly-contagious diseases in our local, national and international communities. Our Infection Control and Prevention team immediately identified other children who may have come in contact with this patient to assess their risk and provide clinical recommendations. We have contacted all of those families.

We are also aware that one of our nurses posted information on social media and we take these matters very seriously. A thorough investigation is underway.

Texas Children’s Hospital’s highest priority is the health and safety of those we serve. We will continue to keep our patients, their families, our staff and the community at-large informed to the fullest extent possible, while also respecting the privacy rights of our patients.

 

On Tuesday, Texas Children's Hospital released a statement saying the nurse was no longer with the hospital after an investigation:

We were made aware that one of our nurses posted protected health information regarding a patient on social media. We take these matters very seriously as the privacy and well-being of our patients is always a top priority. After an internal investigation, this individual is no longer with the organization.