EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — William Beaumont Army Medical Center has confirmed that the patient who presented with measles symptoms last Friday, April 4, at the Mendoza Clinic at Fort Bliss is a confirmed positive case.
Army officials did not disclose the person’s age or vaccination status.
The patient was immediately notified, and the Army hospital, which oversees the health clinics at Fort Bliss, began contact tracing efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease, hospital officials said.
Local and state health officials were also notified, Beaumont hospital officials said.
If you were at the Mendoza Clinic between 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. on April 4, the following precautions are recommended:
- If you are unvaccinated and are 6 months old or older, you should get the MMR vaccine.
- If you are fully vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine, you don’t need an additional vaccine. However, you should monitor yourself for symptoms for 21 days.
- If you were exposed on April 4, the end date for monitoring is April 25.
TRICARE beneficiaries can obtain the MMR vaccine from their primary care provider or the nearest TRICARE network pharmacy.
Patients should call prior to scheduling an appointment to check age eligibility and availability of the vaccine. Vaccinated or not, all patients who were identified as possibly being exposed should monitor for symptoms of measles until April 25.
Symptoms of measles are fever of 101 degrees or greater, cough, runny nose, sneezing, congestion, red eyes, and rash that starts in the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, call your primary care doctor and ask for a virtual visit or, if you feel you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, go to the nearest emergency room for evaluation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people may recover, but measles can cause serious long-term complications, especially in young children.
“That is why prevention is so important,” Maj. Lacy Male, Army Public Health nurse, said. “The measles vaccine is highly effective, and two doses provide 97 percent protection against the disease, making it one of the best tools for prevention. There is no treatment for measles, only supportive therapy. We want to vaccinate to prevent infection altogether.”
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