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With 10 measles cases confirmed in Texas, 2019 has already surpassed last year

The 10th case is an adult who was visiting Guadalupe County from the Philippines, where there is a measles outbreak, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Ten measles cases have been confirmed in Texas this year, surpassing all of 2018, health officials said Wednesday.

The most recent case is an adult who was visiting Guadalupe County from the Philippines, where there is a measles outbreak, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. 

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So far this year, four cases have been confirmed in Harris County and one each in Denton, Galveston, Jefferson, Montgomery and Bell counties. At least five of the cases involve children.

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There were nine confirmed cases of measles in Texas last year, including six in Ellis County. In each of the three years before that, only one case was recorded.

Those lower numbers followed an outbreak of 27 confirmed instances of measles in 2013 and 10 cases in 2014, according to state health data.

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The Texas health department has issued an alert to remind health care providers to consider measles when they are making a diagnosis and to immediately report suspected cases.

"Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes virus particles into the air," the health department said in a written statement. "It's so contagious that if one person is sick and spreading measles, nine out of 10 people around them who aren't immune will get it, too."

Nationwide, 206 cases of measles were reported in 11 states through February, including six outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as three or more cases. There have been 71 confirmed cases in Washington, the most of any state this year.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — one between 12 and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6 — to be fully protected against measles.

According to the CDC, two doses of the vaccine are 97 percent effective against the measles, while one dose is 93 percent effective — and vaccinated people who still get the disease tend to have a milder illness.

The agency recommends that adults with no evidence of immunity get at least one dose of the vaccine. Doctors can test for immunity, but the CDC says that may cost more and require additional doctor's visits, and that there's no harm in getting another dose of the vaccine.

Signs and symptoms

It typically takes about two weeks from the time of exposure to the virus for a rash to develop, but it can take up to three weeks. People are contagious from four days before they get the rash to four days after it appears and should seek medical treatment and isolate themselves at home.

The rash begins on the face as flat, red spots and spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body.

Other symptoms include a fever higher than 101 degrees, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

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People with these symptoms who think they may have been exposed to the virus should call their health providers in advance of a visit so precautions can be taken to prevent exposure to staff members and other patients.

About one out of four people who get measles will be hospitalized and one out of every 1,000 will develop brain swelling because of infection, which may lead to brain damage. One or two out of every 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the "best care," the CDC said.