Lubbock public health director speaks on recent measles death

Lubbock public health director now recommends children get vaccinated for measles at six months rather than waiting until one-year-old.

The announcement comes after an 8-year-old girl died in Lubbock.

Lubbock’s Public Health Director, Katherine Wells, talked with FOX 4 about just how contagious the measles virus can be when it finds unvaccinated pockets of individuals.

Measles spread

The measles spread quickly among West Texas' Mennonite community, but Wells says they aren't the only ones who have seen cases.

What they're saying:

"It started in a more insular community within Gaines County, but we've seen that measles starts finding other unvaccinated populations. We've had cases in daycare here. Now we've had places where children have been exposed in a medical waiting room and now, we probably even have cases where people were exposed out shopping."

Lowering recommended vaccination age

Wells encourages others in the Lubbock area to get a vaccine to prevent the possibility of community exposure.

What they're saying:

"We're now recommending that every child... six months and older gets vaccinated, where typically the regular recommendations from the pediatric associations are getting that vaccine at one. We're asking or highly recommending or stressing that parents should consider getting that vaccine early in order to prevent possible measles through potential community exposures," said Wells. "If you've never been vaccinated, and you're an adult, we're also encouraging vaccines at that point. For older adults, most of them are considered immune because they lived when measles was very common. So really the goal for us in Lubbock is really focusing on our school-aged and daycare kids."

Wells also talks about what to expect from the virus as the summer approaches and students are going to be out of school.

"In some ways, with school ending, fewer kids are in group settings, but daycare continues 365 days a year. So we're going to still be watching those daycare groups. It's going to be the same message for summer camp. Just as it is for school, we need to make sure that the kids that are in close settings to each other are vaccinated," said Wells. 

Texas Measles Outbreak

By the numbers:

Texas has 499 confirmed cases of measles since late January, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

An 8-year-old and 6-year-old have died due to complications from measles.

At least 56 people with measles have been hospitalized since the outbreak started, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

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

What you can do:

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

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