Dallas County Confirms First Measles Case In Dallas Since 2017
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County Health and Human Services reported its first confirmed case of measles in a Dallas resident since 2017.
The patient had been exposed to another confirmed measles case from Tarrant County at their mutual workplace in Dallas County in March, DCHHS said in a news release Thursday evening.
Dallas County's measles patient had stayed at home during their period of potential contagiousness, and therefore did not result in any additional public or workplace exposures.
"This is a great example of a public health success story. We had great coordination with the Tarrant County Health Department and the employer. The patient voluntarily quarantined themself and therefore, there was no public exposure to this highly contagious virus. The DCHHS epidemiology staff are to be commended for their efforts," said DCHHS Director/Health Authority Dr. Philip Huang.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air when a person with measles coughs or sneezes. Measles usually begins with fever (as high as 105°F), cough, runny nose, and red eyes. These symptoms are followed by a rash that spreads from the head downward to the hands and feet. The incubation period for this febrile rash illness is between 7 and 21 days. Patients are contagious from 4 days before rash to 4 days after onset of rash.
"Measles is a highly contagious illness that can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine", said DCHHS Medical Director Dr. Christopher Perkins.