The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has declared an end to a measles outbreak in West Texas that has sickened more than 760 people since late January.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has declared an end to a measles outbreak in West Texas that has sickened more than 760 people since late January.The state agency announced Monday that it has been more than 42 days since a new case was reported, a benchmark that public health professionals use to declare an outbreak over.
The DSHS will continue to monitor for new cases but will no longer update its public dashboard."I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses," said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer A. Shuford.Since late January, 762 confirmed cases of measles were reported, with more than two-thirds of those cases in children. The outbreak resulted in 99 hospitalizations and two deaths in school-aged children.Officials said the end of this outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over, as there are ongoing outbreaks in other parts of North America and around the world. The DSHS is urging healthcare providers to remain vigilant and test for the virus if a patient has symptoms.Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can be life-threatening to people who are not protected against the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DSHS recommend children receive two doses of the MMR vaccine for protection against the virus.
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