EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The City of El Paso’s Department of Public Health has confirmed 18 measles cases as of Friday, April 18.
Local day cares are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus.
Lauren Larrea, owner of Star Mountain Learning center on El Paso’s Westside, said the day care is following guidance from the local health department and making sure vaccination records are up to date.
“We sanitize our areas several times a day. We’re washing hands. We’re washing faces, wearing gloves, masks as well sometimes. We take all of those precautions, and we do health checks every day on our children, take their temperature, make sure that they are not showing any signs of any kind of rashes, especially not accompanied by a fever,” Larrea said.
Larrea added that they do daily health checks, including temperature checks and monitoring for symptoms like coughs and rashes.
Health officials continue to urge the community to get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine. The first, when they are between 12 to 15 months of age, and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
“It is widely accepted that vaccination is the best way to prevent infection with measles. Of the 597 cases that we’ve been reporting across West Texas, 97% of them were unvaccinated. Therefore, getting vaccinated is the foremost best way to protect yourself against measles,” said Dusty Warden, director of operations for Immunize El Paso.
Immunize El Paso is offering the measles vaccine at their two clinics:
- 1400 George Dieter Dr., No. 225
- 6292 Trowbridge Dr.
The City also has walk-in immunization services available 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m. for lunch) Monday through Friday at the following DPH clinics:
- Lower Valley Community Clinic: 9341 Alameda Ave.
- Henderson Community Clinic: 721 S. Mesa St.
- Northeast Community Clinic: 9566 Railroad Dr.
- Westside Community Clinic: 7380 Remcon Cir.
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