The new Austin Travis County interim Health Authority is worried about low vaccination rates for measles in the Austin area.
Doctor Mary Ann Rodriguez, who’s taking over for the departed Phil Huang (wong) says it takes a 95 percent vaccination rate among a population to keep a measles outbreak from happening. “The last 2017 vaccination coverage estimate of pre-school kids between 19 months old to 35 months old in Texas, that’s in Texas in general, was 90 percent. So we’re below the 95 percent.”
But the numbers for the Austin area are foggier but disturbing. “It may be even lower in Austin. I don’t have the right numbers for Austin or Travis County specifically.” However Rodriguez worries not enough are immunized. She says according to federal estimates “There are schools in Travis County with vaccination exemptions of up to forty-nine percent. Imagine if one measles case gets introduced into that population.”
Austin Public Health Epidemiologist Janet Pichette says there are 8 cases of measles reported in Texas currently with one case in nearby Bell County in Temple.
