Texas health officials are sounding the alarm after confirming a measles case in an adult who recently attended a baseball game at Globe Life Field.
According to Denton County officials, the unidentified patient was among a crowd of 39,244 people at the Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on April 19.
The patient, whose vaccination status remains unknown, visited several locations between April 19-22 around Denton County and has now become the first case in the area.
Over 800 cases of measles and three deaths from the disease have been reported this year, according to the CDC, and experts fear it could be the worst outbreak in decades.
In Texas alone, 663 cases of the disease have been recorded since January, out of which 87 have been hospitalized. Two unvaccinated girls, aged six and eight, from the state have also died from the illness.
It remains unclear whether the patient who attended the game is currently under hospital care or isolating at home.
Since measles symptoms appear within seven to 14 days after contact with the virus, Denton County officials are asking locals in the county to monitor themselves for 21 days.
Measles is transmitted through direct contact with airborne droplets that spread when a person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Without vaccination, it is thought to be the most infectious disease in the world.
The unidentified patient was among a crowd of 39,244 people at the Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Dodgers on April 19
It causes tiny white spots inside the mouth, flat red spots on the neck, torso, arms, legs, and feet, ear infections and an intense fever.
If one person has measles, up to 90 percent of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.
The average measles patient would infect up to 18 others if they were also not vaccinated.
People who had the original Covid strain, by comparison, infected on average just two people, though this number rose considerably with new variants.
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Some of the locations the Texas patient visited include Guitars and Growlers restaurant in Flower Mound, a WalMart store in Lewisville, Rangers Republic at Texas Live! restaurant in Arlington and Pho Tay Do restaurant in Richardson.
Anyone who develops symptoms is encouraged to immediately contact health services for treatment.
Dr Matt Richardson, Denton County Public Health Director has since asked residents to ensure they are vaccinated in a statement.
He noted: ‘Today’s case is further evidence that measles cases are on the rise – and the DFW area is no exception.
‘While we haven’t linked this case to an existing outbreak, it highlights two realities: vaccines are important and if you have signs and symptoms, you should be tested.’
The CDC states that the best way to protect children and adults against measles is to get two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The measles vaccine is 93 percent effective at preventing infections after one dose, and 97 percent effective after two doses.
In terms of when to get vaccinated, experts say children need two doses of MMR vaccine: the first dose at age 12-15 months, and the second dose at age 4-6 years.
Babies ages 6-11 months should get an early dose if traveling internationally. Adults should also check to see if they are immune to measles.
Measles is transmitted through direct contact with airborne droplets that spread when a person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
Pictured: Dr Matt Richardson, Denton County Public Health Director
The last time the disease was this rife in the US was in 2019, when there were 1,274 cases reported for the entire year.
Prior to that, the biggest outbreak was in 1990, with numbers spiking to more than 27,000.
Currently, the affected states are: Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
Of these cases, three-quarters are in children under the age of 19.
Data suggests that 97 percent of the patients had not been vaccinated against the virus, while one percent had received only one dose.
The highest number of cases have been reported in Texas and New Mexico, while Kansas and Ohio have also seen a mounting number of reports.
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles
To date, there have been 884 confirmed measles cases reported by 33 jurisdictions, new CDC data shows. Above, a map showing the states impacted by measles, highlighted in blue
Patients develop a fever, cough, and runny nose, which then develops into a rash that starts at the hairline before spreading to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
There’s no cure for measles, with doctors instead using antibiotics to treat related infections and IV fluids.
If unvaccinated, about one in five people who are infected are hospitalized while one in 20 children develop pneumonia.
Measles was officially eradicated in the US in 2000 amid a successful vaccination campaign.
The CDC describes achieving measles elimination status in the US as a ‘historic public health achievement’.
But over the years the viral infection has returned due to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, causing sporadic outbreaks following a drop in inoculation rates.