Three Confirmed Measles Cases Reported in Montgomery County Residents

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- The Montgomery County Public Health Department has confirmed three cases of measles in residents of Montgomery County. The cases involve three family members who were exposed to another confirmed case who traveled from out of state. None of the cases had been vaccinated.

Measles is a highly contagious virus, which can have serious health complications that can be life-threatening, especially in children younger than 5 years old. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been. This can happen even up to 2 hours after that person has left.

Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus. Common measles symptoms include:

• High fever (over 101° F)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
• Rash

If you think you have measles or have been exposed to someone with measles, isolate yourself from others and call your healthcare provider before arriving to be tested so they can prepare for your arrival without exposing other people to the virus.

The best protection against measles is the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend children receive one dose of MMR at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles. Children too young to be vaccinated or individuals who have only had one dose of vaccine are more likely to get infected and more likely to have severe complications if they do get measles versus a person who has been fully vaccinated.

Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. However, measles is still common in many parts of the world and brought into the United States by infected travelers. Prevent measles and talk to your healthcare provider about the MMR vaccine.

For more information, please see https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/index.html.