Texas health department has said that most of the measles cases have been reported in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccine status is known. Read on to know the symptoms and prevention.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said that 90 cases of measles have been confirmed in northwest Texas. The outbreak which began in late January has reported the highest the highest number of cases, 32, since Tuesday. Of these, 16 patients have been hospitalized. The health department has said that most of these cases have been reported in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccine status is known.
Speaking to NBC News, Tonya Guffey, the chief nursing officer at Seminole District Hospital in Gaines County said, “We have a high, high number of unvaccinated. It’s not that they’re not educated. It’s just what their belief is.”
Most of the cases that have been reported are in children and teenagers. 26 of these cases in children under 4 years and 51 in those between the age of 5 and 17.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that is caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death. The infection can affect anyone but is most common in children. Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body.
Earlier, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at Johns Hopkins said to CBS News, “It is troubling because this was completely preventable.
“What we’re seeing is, one of the places in Texas — it has the lowest vaccination rates, the highest school exemption rates from measles vaccination — having a measles outbreak, including hospitalizations of individuals who’ve been infected with measles.”
Symptoms of measles
Here are some of the common symptoms of measles
- High fever
- Tiredness
- Barky cough
- Red or bloodshot eyes
- Runny nose
- Sore throat
- White spots in your mouth
- Muscle pain
Sensitivity to light.
You might also notice that a few days after the symptoms, there’s a red, blotchy rash that spreads from your face to the rest of the body. These rashes can last about seven to 10 days.
Cleveland Clinic says that symptoms of measles usually develop about eight to 12 days after you’re exposed to the measles. However, it can also take up to 21 days to develop symptoms after exposure.
Prevention of measles
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says, “Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus.”
There are two different types of vaccines that provides protection against measles. One of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and the other is the measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
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