Infectious disease doctor answers your top measles questions
Many people have questions about measles with more than 120 cases in Texas and New Mexico and after the death of a school-aged child in West Texas. Wednesday afternoon, Rockwall County confirmed the first case of measles in an adult.
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, the chief of infectious diseases at Children's Health in Dallas believes the reason for the cases is the low vaccination rate.
Kahn said about 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated against measles to avoid an outbreak, and the vaccination rates in the affected areas range between 20% to 50%.
CBS News Texas asked the doctor about the top measles questions on Google.
Are measles deadly?
"I think the fact that we have one death already in just 124 cases really points to the fact that these types of serious illnesses and even deaths occur in measles outbreaks," said Kahn. "We've got to make this is a priority, not to take this lightly, even though most of the children who get measles will eventually recover."
How is measles spread?
"Measles spreads by contact with somebody who has measles, and the measles is spread through respiratory secretions or droplets. It is the most contagious infection or virus that we know of. If you put 100 people in a room who are not immune to measles, and one person enters that room, at least 90% of those people are going to get infected with measles," Kahn said.
What are the symptoms of measles besides a rash?
"When a person has measles, they have a cough, a runny nose, upper respiratory tract symptoms, some maybe some red eyes and fever," Kahn said.
How widespread could measles become in North Texas?
"We don't know how widespread this is going to be, and hopefully public health interventions, mass vaccinations, and case tracking will help us control this current outbreak. I would not be surprised if we start seeing cases throughout the state of Texas and beyond," Kahn said.
Kahn urges parents to get their children vaccinated against measles, which typically starts at 12 to 15 months, with a second dose between four and six years of age.
