As of Friday afternoon, the Texas Department of State Health Services has reported that 400 measles cases have been identified since late January, with 41 patients hospitalized.
DSHS has confirmed that 398 patients have a vaccination status of unknown/unvaccinated, and only two reported cases of measles patients have a vaccinated status. There was also one fatality of a school-aged child that EverythingLubbock.com previously reported on in late February.
DSHS urges residents 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.
Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities.
