TEXAS MEASLES ON THE RISE - Texas Health officials have been carefully monitoring recent cases of Measles reported in the Lone Star State. Near Dallas, Collin County health officials have confirmed their second case of measles this year. It’s the third case of measles reported in North Texas and the twelfth case in Texas for 2019. It's a substantial spike from previous years. There were nine measles case reported in Texas last year and just one in 2017. Chris Van Deusen is a spokesperson with the Department of State Health Services:
"This is more measles than we saw last year, and that certainly catches your attention," Van Deusen explained. "It's not been sort of one single outbreak.These seem to be sporadic cases occurring different parts of the state,for the most part.
The Measles virus is highly contagious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says: if someone's sick, nine out of 10 people nearby who aren't immune are at risk for catching it. Collin County health officials say the person with measles visited a Kroger on North Preston Road in Prosper last Friday between 9 and 10 am. The CDC says if an infected person coughs or sneezes, measles virus can linger for up to two hours. Health experts say the best way to prevent its spread is to get the Measles vaccine and say if you have concerns about this preventable disease, you should talk to your doctor about the benefits of immunization.
