Austin, TX
Measles in Texas: Austin doctor speaks on recent virus outbreak
Measles outbreak across Texas
West Texas continues to deal with a measles outbreak, and now, Austin has confirmed its first case of the virus. An Austin doctor spoke about the recent outbreak.
AUSTIN, Texas – West Texas continues to deal with a measles outbreak.
State health officials say, since January, 146 people, mostly children, have been infected across nine counties. More than 20 people in Texas have been hospitalized, and all of them are unvaccinated.
Unvaccinated infant in Austin tests positive for virus
Also, this week, the state confirmed a young unvaccinated child died while being treated at a hospital in Lubbock. It is the first measles death in the U.S. in 10 years.
Dr. Elizabeth Douglass, an infectious disease expert and assistant professor of internal medicine at Dell Medical School at UT Austin, joined FOX 7 Austin’s Rebecca Thomas to discuss.
Local perspective:
Rebecca Thomas: Dr. Douglass, for those who don’t know what measles is, and what are the symptoms?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: So measles is a very highly contagious respiratory virus which affects if you’re unvaccinated, 90% of individuals would be ill. Typically the symptoms range from they begin with a fever, headache, runny nose and then the patient develops a rash. Sometimes it could be a mild illness, but often it can be complicated as well, depending on the health status of the patient or even patients that do have a normal immune system. Some patients can get pneumonia. Some patients can have a brain infection. And there are various complications of measles.
Rebecca Thomas: Well, there is concern here in central Texas after an infected person from West Texas visited San Marcos and New Braunfels around Valentine’s Day. What is the incubation period and how long does someone remain contagious?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: So the incubation ranges from about 6 to 21 days. And a patient is contagious for 4 to 5 days before they have symptoms. And then up to four days after they have the rash. So there’s a pretty long period.
Rebecca Thomas: Now, the CDC says two doses of the measles vaccine is 97% effective. How contagious, again, is measles if someone isn’t vaccinated, and they’re exposed to it?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: So nine out of ten people will get sick. So it’s highly contagious.
Rebecca Thomas: If you were vaccinated as a child, do you need a booster as an adult?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: Now, if you received the two recommended vaccines, it’s felt that you have lifelong immunity. There have been cases of measles in patients that are vaccinated, but they tend to be extremely mild. So at this point, it is not recommended that the general population get boosters.
Rebecca Thomas: From my understanding, if you were born prior to 1957, you were probably exposed to the measles, probably had it. But there was also a period in the 60s where the vaccine was not effective. Do you want to talk about that?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: Yeah. They used to use a different vaccine. It was a killed vaccine, and it may not have been as effective. Patients that get sick with measles that had that vaccine, still get sick. It’s a little bit different. They call it a typical measles infection. So, if you did not receive the two current vaccines two doses, it would be recommended that you receive another MMR vaccine.
Rebecca Thomas: If you do come down with measles, how is it typically treated?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: So most of the treatment is completely supportive. There are rare cases where people, especially in children, very young children that have severe pneumonia, may be treated with an antiviral. But that’s not the standard of care. It’s usually supportive treatment. There’s other rare instances where we give intravenous immunoglobulin, but generally it’s supportive, which means just like when you have a cold, you just treat the symptoms.
Rebecca Thomas: How concerned are you that this current measles outbreak is going to expand further?
Elizabeth Douglass, MD: I am concerned. And hopefully, this will prompt individuals that are not vaccinated, or even if you’re not sure that you’re vaccinated to, at least in this period, receive another vaccine. There’s no harm in getting an extra vaccine.
Rebecca Thomas: All right. Dr. Elizabeth Douglass with Dell Medical School at UT Austin, thank you so much for sharing your time and your expertise with us tonight.
The Source: Information from an interview conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Rebecca Thomas
Almost one year ago today, the Texas Longhorns found themselves in the losers’ bracket of their own regional, falling to the No. 3 seed UTSA Roadrunners in the 2025 Austin Regional.
For just a brief moment, it looked as if history was going to repeat itself once again, as the No. 3-seeded Tarleton State Texans got another chance at an upset, beating the Longhorns back in the regular season, 6-1, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
But today, history was not going to repeat itself — the team that the Texans saw in the regular season was a different animal than the iteration in the winners’ bracket. Under another furious day at the plate for Texas, and an outstanding night on the mound for Dylan Volantis, Texas was not going to fall into the losers’ bracket for a second consecutive year.
“Obviously that guy on the mound, he’s one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in college baseball for a reason,” said Tarleton State head coach Fuller Smith about Volantis. “We didn’t do a very good job, and I don’t know if we would beat anybody tonight, to be honest.”
Longhorns Look Unstoppable
If the past two days proved anything, Texas is playing its best baseball at the most crucial time of the season — in all three fronts of the game.
After a poor showing in the Southeastern Conference tournament by the Longhorns’ top three hitters. Aiden Robbins, Carson Tinney, and Anthony Pack Jr. have carried the brunt of the Texas offense in the postseason.
In the second inning alone, the trio rocketed three straight home runs to put the Texans down an early 6-0 hole, a deficit they would not come out of.
“I remember when I stepped on home plate [Anthony] Pack Jr. greeted me at home,” Tinney said. I looked at him, I was like, ‘It’s your turn now.’ And then two pitches later, he sent one out.”
Defensively, the Longhorns’ outfield, which struggled trying to find the right combination, has finally found the right grouping in Robbins, Pack Jr., and Dariyan Pendergrass.
Robbins and Pendergrass both were able to come up with deep fly ball grabs in the past two games. In the infield, missing core member Ethan Mendoza at second base, nonetheless, has yet to skip a beat.
“Pendergrass is a pretty veteran player, he’s been around the block a few times in college baseball,” Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Aiden has been a great teammate — Pack [Jr.] has improved greatly over the course of time.”
However, the real star of the regional so far has been the dominance on the mound from starters Luke Harrison and Volantis.
In the regional defining game, Volantis had no issue tossing up the Tarleton State order, who found great success against UC-Santa Barbara in the opening game. The sophomore pitcher lasted 6.2 innings, tossing seven strikeouts and allowing just three hits on the night.
With the giant lead by the time Volantis was pulled in the sixth inning, the Longhorns still have not used any of their premier relief arms in this regional.
“Those two innings were definitely helpful [in the SEC Tournament],” Volnatis said. “I definitely could have done the same without those two innings today.”
Texas now awaits a third rematch with Tarleton State or UC Santa Barbara and will not have to face either of their premier arms — notably Guachos pitcher Jackson Flora, a surefire first-round selection in this year’s MLB Draft.
The Longhorns will roll with Ruger Riojas tomorrow night and likely unload its best arms who have not seen action since the final regular season series against Missouri to seal up their first regional victory in three seasons.
“It’s always good to stay in the winner’s bracket and avoid those moments, but we haven’t won anything yet. We won two games,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m certainly excited about how we played to this point and yes, I’m glad we don’t have to play two tomorrow, but the tournament’s not over.”
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AUSTIN, Texas — One person is dead but has not been identified after the Austin Police Department responded to the scene of a deceased person call in South Austin Saturday afternoon.
According to officials, a deceased person was located in a parking lot just at around 12:25 p.m. at the 4400 Block of Pack Saddle Pass after officers responded to a check welfare urgent call.
The victim was pronounced deceased at 12:36 p.m. The incident is being investigated as a suspicious death, it is not being investigated as a homicide.
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The identity of the victim is still unknown, and the age and sex of the victim has not been released.
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Anyone with information that could help the investigation is encouraged to call the APD homicide unit at 512-477-3588 or APD Crimestoppers at 512-472-8477.
A possible state takeover continues to loom over the Austin Independent School District after the Texas Education Agency denied the district’s request for an accountability pause for three middle schools.
The denial also affects money that would have gone toward Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools, which have each received “F” ratings four times since 2019. A fifth “F” rating would open the district up to a state takeover.
Austin ISD schools expect to see their accountability scores, or grades, later this summer. If Burnet, Dobie, and Webb middle schools receive a fifth “F” each — all in the last seven years — the district could face a state takeover.
Houston ISD was taken over by the state in the 2023-2024 school year, and it has been reported as a rocky ride for teachers and families.
Toni Templeton, a senior research scientist at the University of Houston Education Research Center, said, “Generally, what we’re seeing is a large exodus of both teachers and students from the district.” Templeton and two colleagues released the first part of an ongoing study into the Houston takeover in January. Templeton said, “What that signals to us is that parents are choosing to put students in a different schooling option,” including a neighboring district or charter schools.
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Austin ISD has not been taken over, and the district’s future hinges on the next set of ratings. Asked whether Austin ISD is in a vulnerable place and how likely a takeover is, a district spokesperson provided a statement released by Superintendent Matias Segura on Thursday, saying in part, “Over the last two years, student outcomes have continued to improve across Austin ISD.”
Ken Zarifis, president of Education Austin, also pointed to improvement while raising concerns about the state’s authority. “I think the state will take over a school district if it wants to, and I think that’s a problem, but what we’ve got here is we’ve got some information that I think that is hopeful that we’ve got to produce as far as test scores,” Zarifis said.
He added, “Yeah, I think it’s really important to see what they’re doing now? Not, what are they doing in 2022? What are they doing today? What have they been doing the last few years? And there’s been an improvement, and they’re very hopeful for at least two of the schools.”
A Texas Education Agency spokesperson said that because accountability ratings come out in August, it is too soon to speculate.
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