Measles Outbreak In Waxahachie
WAXAHACHIE, Texas (CBS11) - The Texas Department of State Health Services is warning of a measles outbreak in Ellis County after six confirmed cases.
The six patients were not vaccinated against the disease and may have passed it to others in the Waxahachie or Midlothian area, according to DSHS spokesperson, Chris Van Deusen.
"None of them have been vaccinated, and that's the biggest risk factor. Those are the people we're most worried about," he said.
Measles is most easily recognized by the rash it causes, but symptoms can also include a fever, cough, runny nose, or conjunctivitis.
"I remember itching. Itching, itching, itching," said Paula Neff in Waxahachie, who said she was once six years old and miserable with the measles.
"I know there are a lot of people who don't want to vaccinate their children, and I do understand that. But, measles can be a really serious thing, and it happens quickly," she said.
The disease is transmitted through droplets that pass from one infected person to another.
"Coughing, sneezing. It can stay in the air for a matter of hours," said Van Deusen.
The theater company said it had spoken with a state epidemiologist who assured them the heightened risk there was limited to the one day the infected person was present.
DSHS has asked anyone exhibiting possible symptoms of the measles to stay at home and minimize the risk to others.