Health Department: No cases of measles in Breckenridge
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
There have been 90 confirmed cases of measles in the state of Texas since late January, but none of them are in Stephens County, as of Friday, Feb. 21, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
An apparent misunderstanding led to a brief concern that a Breckenridge child had the measles, but as it turned out, the child does not have the disease, Lara M. Anton, the Senior Press Officer for TDSHS told the Breckenridge Texan earlier this week.
“I spoke to the epidemiologists involved in investigating this situation and the child … was not diagnosed with measles,” she wrote in an email. “It sounds like there was a misunderstanding about the child’s diagnosis. There are no cases of measles in Stephens County at this time.”
However, there has been an outbreak in the South Plains region of the state, and Anton suggests that parents familiarize themselves with the symptoms of the measles, as well as what to do if they think they or their child have been exposed to the disease.
Dr. Kelli Windsor, the Stephens County Public Health Authority issued a statement on Facebook on Friday, Feb. 21:
We do have a plan at our local medical clinic and hospital if you think you or your child has been exposed or is showing symptoms of measles. Just call Breckenridge Medical Clinic and we’ll walk you through what to do next.
The most important thing you can do to prevent measles is make sure you are vaccinated. The measles vaccine is highly effective (93% after 1 dose, 97% after two doses, usually with lifetime immunity). It does take about 2 weeks after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity. The MMR vaccine is typically given at 1 year and 4 year wellness visits, but it can be given sooner than 1 year of age if you have a baby in an area where measles is spreading. If a person is older than 4 years and has never received MMR vaccine before, it is given as 2 doses at least 4 weeks apart.
Measles can be spread through airborne transmission and can live on surfaces or suspended in the air for about 2 hours.
It is highly contagious. Incubation period (length of time between exposure and development of symptoms) is typically about 11-12 days. The first symptoms are usually cough, fever, runny nose/congestion, and/or redness of the eyes. 2-3 days later there are some tiny white spots that usually appear inside the mouth…looks kind of like sand stuck on inside of cheeks. Then a red rash typically starts on the head/face and spreads downwards throughout body. The rash usually lasts 5-6 days.
The most common complications are diarrhea and ear infections.
The most severe complications are pneumonia, encephalitis (infection/inflammation around brain), and death (about 1/1,000).
According to the TDSHS, since late January, 90 cases of measles have been confirmed in Texas. Sixteen of the patients have been hospitalized. Five of the patients are vaccinated. The rest are unvaccinated, or their vaccination status is unknown, the TDSHS reported on Friday.
The report shows that there are 57 cases in Gaines County, 20 in Terry County, six in Dawson County, four in Yoakum County, and one each in Ector, Lubbock and Lynn counties. There are also nine cases in Lea County, New Mexico, which is just across the state line from a couple of the affected Texas counties.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” the measles outbreak news update shows. “DSHS is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, measles is one of the most contagious human viruses but is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. Coverage of 95% or greater of 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine is needed to create herd immunity in order to protect communities and achieve and maintain measles elimination. According to reports from the Texas Department of State Health Services, in 2023-24, Breckenridge Independent School District showed that 85.71 percent of its kindergartners were immunized against measles and 100 percent of seventh graders were immunized.
The vaccine for measles was made available in 1963. Before that, about 400-500 people in the United States died from the disease each year. By the year 2000, measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. But, several cases of unvaccinated people coming in contact with infected people led to an increase in recent years.
As Dr. Windsor mentioned above, measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The New Mexico Department of Health explains that it causes fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash that spreads over the body. Serious complications can occur, including pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.
The best way to prevent getting sick — or to prevent your child from getting sick — is to be immunized against measles. Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.
If you suspect you or someone in your family may have been exposed to measles, call the Breckenridge Medical Center at 254-559-3363, Resource Care Community Health Center at 254-559-7215, or your personal physician.
