A vial of a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine sits on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2015.
Fort Bend County, a fast-growing suburban space southwest of Houston, reported a measles case on Sunday.
The case entails a girl between the ages of 50-60, in keeping with the Fort Bend Well being and Human Companies division, which stated the case is related to latest worldwide journey and never the outbreak in West Texas, which reached 400 circumstances as of Friday.
“I wish to reassure our neighborhood that we’re working carefully with Well being and Human Companies to maintain everybody knowledgeable,” Fort Bend County Choose KP George stated in a information launch. “Your security and well-being stay my high precedence. I urge all residents to verify their immunization information, get vaccinated if needed and keep vigilant for signs. Collectively, we are able to defend our households, neighbors and the better Fort Bend neighborhood.”
Three measles circumstances have been reported this yr within the close by metropolis of Houston, with well being officers there saying the circumstances weren’t tied to the West Texas outbreak. The Houston Well being Division introduced in January that two adults in the identical family had contracted the illness after touring overseas, marking town’s first measles circumstances since 2018. Earlier this month, an toddler in Houston who additionally had returned from a visit in another country was additionally identified with measles.
Well being officers in Fort Bend County stated they’re conducting contact tracing to establish doable exposures.
“We wish to reassure residents that our public well being group is actively conducting case investigations and notifying potential contacts,” stated Dr. Gale-Lowe, the director and native well being authority for Fort Bend County Well being and Human Companies. “One of the simplest ways to guard your self and your family members is thru vaccination. The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is secure, efficient and supplies robust safety towards measles.”
West Texas is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that has accounted for 400 of the practically 500 circumstances reported in america this yr. An unvaccinated little one from Gaines County died in February, marking the primary measles loss of life within the U.S. since 2015.
