Dallas County offers to hold measles vaccination clinics for local schools

DALLAS - There are currently 159 measles cases in nine West Texas counties and local health officials are working to make sure a similar outbreak doesn't happen in North Texas.

Dallas County measles vaccination efforts

Health director Dr. Philip Huang briefed Dallas County commissioners on the measles outbreak and the importance of vaccines.

154 of the 159 cases in West Texas are among people who are not vaccinated, or whose vaccination status is not known. Five measles cases are among people with at least one dose of the vaccine.

Dr. Huang told commissioners his department has identified pockets in our area that have a higher vaccination opt-out rate of all vaccines, including measles. Some of those are because of vaccine suspicion, others are for religious reasons.

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

Measles are preventable with the vaccine, but Dr. Huang says over time there's been an erosion of trust in the vaccine.

Dallas County told local superintendents that they are happy to try to schedule events at districts to raise the vaccination rates.

What they're saying:

"We've reached out to schools. There are some school districts and particular schools have higher rates of parents who opt out to have their children vaccinated, so we've looked at some of those lists and have targeted some of those schools and school districts and have sent a letter to the superintendent's to tell them we really want to help them get their vaccination rates up," said Dr. Huang.

Texas measles outbreak

The Latest Update:

159 cases of measles have been confirmed in connection to the department since late January, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

That is an additional 13 cases since the previous official DSHS update on Friday.

One school-aged child died from complications with the measles and 22 patients have been hospitalized.

By the numbers:

The Texas Department of State Health Services released more information about the 159 cases in the state in connection to outbreak centered in Gaines County..

Measles cases have also been detected in Austin and Rockwall County, but both of those cases involved people who had traveled abroad. The cases are not included in the update from DSHS.

It is the biggest measles outbreak in Texas in the last 30 years.

Here are the total cases by county:

• Gaines County: 107
• Lubbock County: 3
• Lynn County: 2
• Terry County: 22
• Yoakum County: 7
• Dawson County: 9
• Ector County: 2
• Dallam County: 4
• Martin County: 3

Here are the total cases by age:

• 0-4 years: 53 cases
• 5-17 years: 74 cases
• 18+: 27 cases
• Unknown: 5 cases

Here is the vaccination status of the patients:

• Not Vaccinated: 80
• Unknown Status: 74
• Vaccinated with at least one dose: 5

What's next:

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

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 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 for 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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