Austin Public Health Confirms First Case Of Measles In Travis County Since 1999
Austin, Texas – A person residing in Travis County has been diagnosed with measles. Out of an abundance of caution.
Austin Public Health (APH) is working with health departments in Central Texas to inform people who were at specific locations listed below during the specified time frames that they may have been exposed to an individual with measles.
Local, state and federal health officials are mounting a coordinated effort to inform people who may have been exposed through closer contact.
Listed below are the dates, times and locations of the potential exposure sites associated with the confirmed case of measles.
The dates and locations (below) may change as APH continues to gather information.
December 14 (evening):
- Chipotle Mexican Grill, 6301 W Parmer Lane
December 14 – 16:
- HEB, 6001 W Parmer Lane
December 15:
December 15 – 16
December 16 (2pm – 4pm):
December 17 (Noon – 4pm):
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, 3600 Presidential Boulevard
- United Airlines, gate 29 area
Measles is a virus that is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Those who are unvaccinated are at high risk when around someone who has measles. Measles can be serious and about one in four people who gets measles will be hospitalized.
If you have received two MMR vaccinations, you are protected. If you received one or no MMR vaccinations you are at an increased risk of infection. Symptoms include cough, rash, fever, sore eyes and the rash generally starts on the forehead.
Please call your doctor immediately if you have been to these locations during these dates and develop a fever before January 1, 2020. It is important to call and provide your physician with this information before going.
“Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease. A small number of cases are capable of quickly producing epidemics,” said Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority and medical director for Austin Public Health. “The best way to protect yourself and your family against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases is by immunization.”
Children should receive their first dose of measles vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age; another dose at 4-6 years of age.
Measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine is generally first given at 12 months of age in the United States but is sometimes recommended for children as young as 6 months of age who are traveling outside the United States or could be infected in an outbreak.
For more information on measles, visit www.AustinTexas.gov/measles.
Photo credit to Stephen Kelly 2018
