State health officials confirmed two reported cases of measles in Collin County, with Collin County Health Care Services reporting public exposures on April 10 and 11 as well as on April 29.
The recent measles outbreak has remained relatively concentrated in West Texas, with 702 of the state’s 722 total cases located in the region. However, individuals travelling from the initial outbreak region to Collin County are now carrying the infection across the state. Three cases have been confirmed in the DFW metropolitan area between Collin and neighboring Rockwall County. Lamar County, approximately 100 miles northeast of UTD, has 19 confirmed cases. Three patients have been hospitalized and two deaths have been confirmed, with both fatalities of school-age children unvaccinated against measles with no underlying medical conditions.
UTD students are not required to be vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, called MMR; however, the Student Health Center offers the vaccine to students among others like meningitis and annual influenza shots. Research collected by the Center for Disease Control has consistently found the MMR vaccine to be safe and over 97% effective.
Medical experts in Texas and New Mexico have largely attributed the recent measles outbreak to increasing vaccine hesitancy, especially considering only 19 of Texas’ 722 infected patients were fully vaccinated with two doses. The state’s projected vaccination rate sits at 94.3%. The American Academy of Pediatrics calculated that a vaccination rate of 92-94% must be maintained to ensure herd immunity, a rate some communities in the state have fallen below. At one school district in the epicenter of the outbreak, 46% of surveyed students were vaccinated against measles.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly promoted vitamin A supplements and cod liver oil in place of the MMR vaccine. Scientists at the National Institute of Health have concluded the MMR vaccine to be the most effective preventative measure and mortality reducer while finding no statistical evidence for vitamin A as a form of treatment. Overuse of vitamin A as a treatment for measles has already resulted in a child’s hospitalization in West Texas.
Some in the state legislature look to further capitalize on the anti-vaccine movement. If enacted, HB 3304 would prohibit any state actor from requiring vaccines or proof of immunization for any purpose, including those for measles in public schools, while SB 94 would expand non-medical vaccine exemption programs by lessening existing barriers. Carrie Williams, a spokesperson for Texas Hospital Association told The Texas Tribune that the expansion of vaccine exemptions increase the chances of epidemic.
Healthcare experts recommended that individuals call their primary healthcare provider immediately if they have fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes or Koplik’s spots — small white spots with bluish-white centers located inside the mouth and/or a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches. Those unvaccinated against measles may be eligible for immunization from the county. UTD’s Student Health Center offers measles vaccinations year-round for students.