Health officials have reported two cases of measles in Tarrant County, marking the county’s first instances of the year.
On Friday evening, the Tarrant County Public Health authorities shared the news. The patients are described as “household members” and are both unvaccinated—one being a child and the other an adult.
As of now, it’s unclear how these individuals contracted the virus, which raises questions about their relation to the ongoing outbreak that started in Gaines County.
Notably, both patients visited the emergency room at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center while contagious. Anyone present in the emergency room from 8 p.m. on April 29 to 3 a.m. on April 30 could have been exposed to the virus.
Those who potentially encountered the virus are advised to keep an eye on any symptoms until May 20. Health officials are also looking into other possible exposure locations.
These two cases join a small number of measles instances reported in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this year.
Earlier this week, a case was confirmed in Denton County, alongside cases in Collin and Rockwall Counties. Interestingly, none of the Dallas-Fort Worth cases have been directly connected to the ongoing outbreak originating in West Texas.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the cases in Collin and Rockwall Counties are considered separate from the outbreak, and they have yet to classify the Denton County case.
Since January, Texas has reported a total of 683 cases, with additional cases in New Mexico and Oklahoma. Measles, known for its high contagion rate, can spread rapidly, especially in unvaccinated populations. The two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing the illness.
It’s generally recommended that almost everyone receive the measles vaccine starting around 12 months of age, though it’s advised against for pregnant or immunocompromised individuals.
After being declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, there have been outbreaks since; low vaccination rates often fuel these incidents. The current large outbreak in Texas could potentially jeopardize the elimination status of measles in the country.
