Harris County, Houston officials unveil preparedness plan for Texas measles outbreak – KHOU.com
To stream KHOU 11 on your phone, you need the KHOU 11 app.Next up in 5Example video title will go here for this videoNext up in 5Example video title will go here for this videoHOUSTON — Local officials held a news conference Tuesday afternoon, their first joint update, on their plan to be proactive to prevent the spread of measles.They said as of now there are no active cases of measles in Houston or Harris County. Officials are, however, closely watching school districts and daycares with low vaccination rates, which is less than 95%.Director of Houston Health Stephen Williams said they are providing education on the virus for everyone, which includes those daycares and school districts.“It is not normal to see an outbreak like this in the United States,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said.“The City of Houston is aware of its circumstances. We’ve reached out to all of our stakeholders,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said.The plan discussed looks to closely watch daycares and school districts with low vaccination rates, providing educational material and holding vaccine clinics this weekend throughout the Houston Metro area.“We’re going to look at the numbers and follow the numbers regardless of the neighborhood,” Williams said.Officials emphasized that there are currently no confirmed cases in the Houston Metro or Harris County area. Each one of the speakers said now is the time to get vaccinated to stay proactive, not reactive.“What is it about this particular measles outbreak that has caught your attention?” KHOU 11 News reporter Amanda Henderson asked.“How rapidly it’s spreading in West Texas,” Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine Dr. Peter Hotez said.“Everyone here says we need to address this now, why?” Henderson asked.“Well, prevention is really how we keep our community safe, particularly our most vulnerable population,” Texas Children’s Pediatrics Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sapna Singh said.Texas Children’s Pediatrics will host a free MMR vaccine clinic on March 8 and 15 from 8 a.m. to noon at their TCP West Loop location. You can find the location of mobile health vans on their website.Legacy Community Health will host a free MMR vaccine clinic on March 8 at 6441 High Star and 3811 Lions Ave.The vaccines are for those 12 months and older.Click here for more information on measles vaccinations through ReadyHarris.org.As of Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported 159 cases of measles across nine counties in West Texas. Officials say 129 of those cases are in Gaines and Terry counties. The vast majority of patients are children under 18. A Lubbock child has died from measles.RELATED: Texas health department delivers measles updateAt a state Capitol hearing Monday, DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford warned that more cases linked to the outbreak are likely. Health officials have not yet determined the source of the outbreak.RELATED: Health Secretary RFK Jr. said he’s ‘deeply concerned’ about measles outbreak, urges parents to consider vaccination”We don’t know the individual who introduced it into the community or what the risk factor was for bringing it in. We know that measles is alive and well in other parts of the world, and so all it takes is one traveler to bring it in,” Shuford said.She also noted that the virus has spread rapidly due to lower vaccination rates in affected areas.Health officials estimate that the outbreak could last two and a half months or longer, depending on vaccination efforts and containment measures.Photojournalist Scott McKenney contributed to this report.
