Measles in Austin-Travis County: Officials give update

AUSTIN, Texas - City and county officials gave an update Monday on the current state of measles in Austin-Travis County and the state at large.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Austin-Travis County Medical Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes spoke from City Hall.

Watch the full press conference below:

Second case of measles in Travis County

Local perspective:

A second measles case was reported last week in Travis County.

The patient is reportedly a vaccinated adult who may have caught the virus while traveling domestically within the U.S. As of April 25, the resident was isolated with mild symptoms.

"The person traveled outside of the state and also inside the state on an airplane," said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes. 

The CDC is now contacting people who were on that plane, and local health officials are tracking possible exposures in South Austin.

"And identifying all the places that the patient visited while they were contagious," said Mayor Kirk Watson. 

Officials released a list of possible exposure locations, dates and times:

• Office Building 300 Colorado, Austin, TX, 78701 on Wednesday, April 16, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Maaribu, 1413 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704 on Thursday, April 17, 8:45-11:30 a.m.
• Curra’s, 614 E Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704 on Thursday, April 17, 5:45 – 9:30 p.m.
• Starbucks, 1920 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78741 on Friday, April 18, 10:08 a.m. - 12:08 p.m.
• UPS Store. 2407 S Congress Ave, Ste E, Austin, TX 78704 on Saturday, April 19, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Hestia, 607 W 3rd St #105, Austin, TX 78701 on Saturday, April 19, 5:45 – 11 p.m.
• Walgreens, 1920 E Riverside Dr, Bldg B, Austin, TX 78741 on Sunday, April 20, 8:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Pueblo Viejo, 2410 E Riverside Dr, Ste. H-8, Austin, TX 78741 on Sunday, April 20, 8:45 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• CareNow, 1920 E Riverside Dr, Ste A110, Austin, TX 78741 on Sunday, April 20, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

"If you were at one of the locations on the dates and times listed, we recommend that you call your health care provider," said Walkes. "Those who have been exposed should also monitor themselves for symptoms through Wednesday, May 11th."

Anyone who may have been exposed is asked to monitor for symptoms through at least May 11.

Anyone who may have been exposed and is unvaccinated, pregnant and/or immunocompromised is advised to contact their healthcare provider immediately. If you don't have a provider, APH says to call 512-972-5555 and APH will help connect you to care.

Anyone who develops symptoms of measles is advised to:

• Stay home and away from others
• Contact your healthcare provider for guidance
• Call before visiting a clinic or hospital to prevent possible exposure to others

Texas measles outbreak

Big picture view:

In its April 25 update, the Texas Department of State Health Services says that 646 cases of measles have been confirmed in the state since late January. 618 of those were unvaccinated or of unknown vaccination status.

Sixty-four of the patients have been hospitalized since the outbreak began, but DSHS says this is not the current number of people actively in the hospital.

Two unvaccinated school-aged children have died from measles. DSHS says they lived in the outbreak area of West Texas and had no known underlying health conditions.

Based on the most recent data, DSHS has identified the following counties as having ongoing measles transmission: Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry and Yoakum.

DSHS says 191 cases are in kids aged 4 and younger, 243 cases are in kids aged 5 to 17, and 187 are in adults aged 18 and older. 25 cases are still listed as "pending" and have not been categorized.

What is measles?

Dig deeper:

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. 

Measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. 

Illness onset (high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes) begins a week or two after someone is exposed. A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. 

A person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People with measles should stay home from work or school during that period.

Symptoms of Measles

Common symptoms of measles include: 

• High fever (as high as 105°F)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red and watery eyes
• Tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth 2-3 days after symptoms begin
• Rash 3-5 days after other signs of illness. The "measles rash" typically starts at the face and then spreads down to the rest of the body.

How to prevent getting measles

The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.

"If that vaccination rate drops below 95%, schools can have an outbreak. We have several schools in our community in that category and that's just not acceptable," said Travis County Commissioners Court Judge Andy Brown. 

Officials are now urging everyone to make sure they've gotten two doses of the MMR vaccine, which they underscore is safe and 97% effective. 

"Vaccination is the best defense against this highly contagious and deadly disease," said Watson. "If you haven't gotten vaccinated already, now is the time to do so."

Some vaccinated people can occasionally develop measles; however, they generally experience milder symptoms and are less likely to spread the disease to other people.

For more information on how and where to get vaccinated against measles, click here.

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