Measles Cases For 2019 Up To 10 In Texas

There are 10 measles cases in the state so far this year, one more than Texas saw all last year, according to a news release from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The 10th case is in an adult who visited Guadalupe County from the Philippines, where there is an ongoing measles outbreak, DSHS said.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes the virus into the air, DSHS said.

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"It’s so contagious that if one person is sick and spreading measles, nine out of 10 people around them who aren’t immune will get it, too," DSHS said. "The illness usually starts a week or two after someone is exposed to the virus with symptoms like a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. 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 about four days before the rash appears. The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of the measles vaccine, DSHS said.

DSHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend children receive one dose at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years. Children too young to be vaccinated or who have only had one dose of the vaccine are more likely to get infected and more likely to have severe complications if they do get sick, so immunization is important for adults and older children who are around infants and toddlers, DSHS said.

Texas reported nine cases of measles in 2018 and one in 2017, DSHS added. DSHS will continue to update case counts for the current year on its news updates page. Additional background on measles is available here.