There Are Now Confirmed Measles Cases In Texas
Health officials in Texas have confirmed there are 5 cases of the Measles in the Lone Star state, with a 6th waiting to be confirmed. With the measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest, it was only a matter of time before other states started having confirmed measles cases as well. Unfortunately, it looks like Texas is one of those other states. There have been 5 cases confirmed of the measles in Texas, with 3 in the Houston area. There is also a measles case in Galveston County, one in Montgomery County with a 6th case waiting to be confirmed by the lab. Four of the measles cases are in children under 2 years old and the fifth was a 25-35-year-old woman. All five of the Texas cases were confirmed on Monday, while the Pacific Northwest outbreak has 50 confirmed measles cases. According to the Houston Chronicle, the four children received their first of the two measles vaccines but were too young for the second. The second vaccine is given when the child is between 4 and 6 years of age.
Measles cases in Texas were steady from 2015 to 2017 with only one case a year, but that number went up to nine cases in 2018. Already in 2019, we're on our way to our sixth case in Texas. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Hotez told the Houston Chronicle that measles peaks in late winter early spring, before the measles vaccine became more widespread.