MEXIA, Texas (KXXV) — Mexia ISD is addressing what the district thought was the first confirmed case of the measles here in Central Texas. Instead, it was a case of the German measles, also known as Rubella.
25 News spoke to the state who said it was a false alarm due to miscommunication.
- German measles, also known as Rubella, a contagious disease caused by a virus, different than the regular measles virus
- As of now, there are no confirmed cases of the measles in Central Texas — the closest confirmed case is one in Rockwall County, about 90 miles from the Central Texas Area
- We will keep you updated as this outbreak continues in the state of Texas
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Mexia ISD first went to social media to break the news Thursday afternoon after announcing all classes would be closed Friday for cleaning.
25 News talked to the state who said it was a false alarm due to miscommunication.
But the superintendent says it was a confirmed case, turns out it's actually a case of German measles — also known as Rubella.
The CDC defines this as a contagious disease caused by a virus, different than the regular measles virus.
This is usually mild with symptoms such as a red rash appearing on the faces of children, that’s usually the first sign, adults will have low-grade fever, sore throat and that rash that starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
Our 25 News news team spoke with Chris Van Deusen with the Texas Department of State Health Services on why we’re seeing such an uptick of cases here in the state and why it’s important to get yourself vaccinated.
“If you’re aware there’s a lot of measles and you only got one dose as a child or you were vaccinated a long time ago, like back in the 60's and it was a different vaccine back then and it didn’t work nearly as well, and in 1989 we went to two doses, and that’s what’s recommended now that everyone get two doses, and that provides 97 percent immunity," Van Deusen said.
"Even if you’re exposed to measles, there’s a very small chance that you would get it."
If you have any questions when it comes to getting the measles vaccines, contact your health care provider.
Again, no measles cases have been reported for the Central Texas area, the closest would be one confirmed case in Rockwall County, about an hour and a half north of the area.
