Travis County has first measles case in 20 years

Bottle of MMR Vaccine

Statement from the City of Austin Public Health:

A person residing in Travis County has been diagnosed with measles. Out of an abundance of caution, Health Departments in Central Texas are informing people who were at various 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. Listed below are the dates and locations of the potential exposure sites associated with the confirmed case of measles. Dates and locations may change as APH continues to gather information. Please refer to our website for updates.

December 14 (evening):

Chipotle Mexican Grill, 6301 W Parmer Lane

December 14 – 16:

HEB, 6001 W Parmer Lane

December 15:

Saam Thai, 6301 W Parmer Lane

December 15 – 16

Mandola’s Italian, 4700 W Guadalupe Street

December 16 (2pm – 4pm):

Target, 10107 Research Boulevard

Marco’s Pizza, 11011 Research Boulevard

December 17 (Noon – 4 pm):

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, 3600 Presidential Boulevard

United Airlines, gate 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.

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 and sore eyes.

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.cdc.gov/measles/toolkit/index.html

For more information on immunizations, visit www.austintexas.gov/immunizations

(Photo: Shutterstock by By SamaraHeisz5)

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