Measles in Texas: Austin doctor speaks on recent virus 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.