EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A recent surge in measles cases in West Texas has caused concern for state and local health officials who are urging people to vaccinate their children to avoid the spread of the virus.
Measles is most identified through a red rash that begins at the head and spreads downwards through the body, but symptoms can begin before that. The rash is usually accompanied by a high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes.
About 265 miles away from El Paso, Gaines County is seeing a fast rise in reported cases. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 48 cases of the disease have been reported. Out of that number, 42 of those cases are children between the ages of 0-17 years old.
“The health department is taking it seriously. We’re taking it seriously. So, we hope that people, parents, will take it seriously. Get their children to a vaccination clinic. Get their children vaccinated against measles, and then you don’t have to worry about that outbreak in West Texas,” said Cristina Rodda, the community outreach director with Immunize El Paso.
Rodda says misinformation about vaccines is the reason behind the surge in cases, urging parents to look to verified medical professionals and organizations for health advice.
“One of the drivers, that is driving parent’s perception of whether or not to vaccinate their children against the measles is really simple. They’re getting their information from non-experts,” she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labels measles as highly contagious. The airborne virus can survive on surfaces for up to two hours and will infect nine out of 10 people nearby if they are not protected.
According to the CDC, the best prevention against the virus is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR).
Even with two doses of the MMR vaccine, breakthrough infections are still possible but they are not as severe for those who are vaccinated.
“You will see that the person who has measles and is vaccinated will have less severe symptoms than someone who is unvaccinated and one of the important points to make is that measles is actually fatal. It can cause things like pneumonia, and it can cause brain swelling,” Rodda said.
Immunize El Paso offers the MMR vaccine. Anyone needing information on measles or other immunizations can find details through the organization’s website.
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