Rockwall County is reporting a second measles case, this one possibly connected to the outbreak in West Texas.
An adult resident who recently traveled to West Texas tested positive for measles last week, according to a post shared Tuesday on the county commissioners court's Facebook page. The person has since recovered and stayed home for most of the time they were infectious. The people who were exposed to the individual were notified.
The case was not included in the Texas Department of State Health Services’ biweekly update on the outbreak that has killed two Texas children and sickened 561 people in the state since late January. Fifty-eight patients have been hospitalized.
The state has reported ongoing measles transmission in Dallam, Cochran, Gaines, Dawson, Lynn, Lubbock, Lamar, Yoakum and Terry counties.
Fewer than 25 of the confirmed cases were believed to be actively infectious, according to the latest DSHS update.
Rockwall County previously reported a measles case in an adult male believed to have contracted the disease while abroad. The case was unrelated to the West Texas outbreak.
Tarrant County Public Health reported possible measles exposure in Grapevine between March 28 and 30 at Great Wolf Lodge and the Grapevine Mills Mall.
Vaccination remains the most effective prevention against measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who have had two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination are at low risk of contracting the disease, which can lead to pneumonia, severe brain swelling and death.
The CDC recommends children receive their first vaccination when they’re 12-15 months old. The second dose is recommended for children between ages 4 and 6. Older children, teens and adults can receive their first and second doses at least 28 days apart.
Symptoms include high fever, runny nose, red or watery eyes, white spots inside the mouth, coughing or a rash that shows up three to five days after symptoms begin.
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