Texas measles outbreak: No new cases in connection to West Texas outbreak

The Texas Department of State Health Services says no new measles cases have been detected in the last week in connection to an outbreak in West Texas.

The state has been tracking case numbers since the outbreak began in late January.

Two cases not believed to be connected to the West Texas outbreak were reported in Dallas and Fannin Counties.

Texas measles outbreak update

The Latest:

Since late January, 750 measles cases have been confirmed by state officials.

Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, has reported 413 cases since the outbreak began in January. The county accounts for more than half of the state's cases.

Only Gaines and Lamar counties have been designated as "outbreak counties" by DSHS. 

There have been 97 patients hospitalized since the outbreak started, an increase of one over last week's update. The state says these hospitalizations are from earlier in the outbreak.

Since January, 21 cases have been reported in people who were considered fully vaccinated and 22 cases in people who only had one dose of the vaccine. 707 of the 750 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:

• Andrews County: 3
• Atascosa County: 1
• Bailey County 2
• Borden County: 1
• Brewster County: 1
• Brown County: 1
• Carson County: 1
• Cochran County : 14
• Collin County: 1
• Dallam County: 7
• Dawson County: 26
• Eastland County: 2
• Ector County: 12
• El Paso County: 58
• Erath County: 1
• Gaines County: 413
• Garza County: 2
• Hale County: 5
• Hardeman County: 1
• Hockley County: 6
• Lamar County: 23
• Lamb County: 1
• Lubbock County: 53
• Lynn County: 2
• Martin County: 3
• McLennan County: 9
• Midland County: 6
• Parmer County: 5
• Potter County: 1
• Randall County: 1
• Reeves County: 2
• Rockwall County: 1
• Terry County: 60
• Upshur County: 5
• Yoakum County: 20

Here are the total cases by age:

• 0-4 years: 219 cases 
• 5-17 years: 283 cases 
• 18+: 243 cases 
• Pending: 4 cases

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

Here is the vaccination status of the patients:

• Not Vaccinated/unknown status: 707
• Vaccinated with one dose: 22
• Vaccinated with two or more doses: 21

What's next:

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

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. 

Two new cases in Dallas and Fannin County were detected.

• Bell County: 1
• Brazoria County: 1
• Collin County: 3
• Dallas County: 1 (new)
• Denton County: 2
• El Paso County: 2
• Fannin County: 1 (new)
• Fort Bend County: 1
• Harris County: 3
• Harrison County: 1
• Hays County: 1
• Randall County: 2
• Rockwall County: 1
• Scurry County: 1
• Shackleford County: 1
• Tarrant County: 4
• Travis County: 2
• Williamson County: 6

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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