Health Officials Say 5 Cases Of Measles Confirmed In Texas

This outbreak is leading to plenty of false alarms in Eugene, and health care providers said people are rushing to the doctor out of fear and lack of information.

The Oregon Health Authority said Wednesday that measles was confirmed in the three people Wednesday but that they pose no risk to the public.

DCPH will continue to monitor and investigate any measles concerns within Denton County. Three cases were reported in Harris County and one case was reported in Bell, Galveston and Montgomery counties.

Health officials say five cases of measles have been confirmed in southern Texas, including four children under the age of 2-years-old.

All three cases are children who were not vaccinated or did not complete their vaccine series.

Measles can be prevented with the MMR vaccine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get the first dose of that vaccine between 12 and 15 months and the second dose between ages 4 and 6.

According to the Texas DSHS, "Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing".

The announcement of this case in North Texas comes after 31 cases of measles were reported last month in Portland, Oregon, most of which occurred in children under the age of 10. The measles vaccine is reported to be very effective; 97 percent of those who receive both vaccinations are immune.

The people involved in these new cases stayed home while contagious, so there are no new public exposure sites where people might have come in contact with the disease.

Orders for two types of measles vaccines in Clark County were up almost 500 percent in January compared to the same month previous year, jumping from 530 doses to 3,150, according to state health department figures.

In 2018, there were 17 outbreaks and about 350 diagnosed cases of measles in the U.S. Visit www.vaccines.gov to locate clinics that provide measles vaccinations.