A Texas measles outbreak has made its way to the Gulf Coast, and Houston County Health Department authorities are joining immunization experts in urging vaccination.
Houston’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Persse said he’s not particularly concerned about a measles case in an adult Fort Bend County female reported Monday because the virus was contracted through international travel and there’s no indication of local spread. Houston officials are investigating the Fort Bend case and have interviewed the people with whom the woman came in contact.
“The No. 1 thing I want to get across to people is don’t worry,” Persse said. “If you’re born and raised in the U.S., you are probably immune.”
However, if you can’t find your records and aren’t sure if you’ve already been vaccinated, it won’t hurt to get the shot again, the doctor added. Persse said he had measles as a child and was therefore immune but took vaccines to enter medical school and to start his residency. The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and has been around for decades. It’s low cost and safe, Persse said.
“While I disagree with those who were worried about the new COVID vaccine, that was new; it was new technology,” he said. “This is not new. It’s been around forever and ever. The concerns that were raised about it have all been debunked. The flip side of the coin is that measles is such an easily spread illness and it makes people sicker than most of the other vaccine-preventable illnesses.”
Measles was believed eradicated in the United States but was reintroduced early this year through international travel, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Most of the state’s 422 measles cases have been concentrated in the South Plains and Panhandle regions where vaccination rates are low.
“Measles is uncommon in the United States but it’s really common in certain parts of Europe and other parts of the world,” Persse said. “So for folks who are going to travel to the Middle East or Europe, you may want to make sure that you’re vaccinated not only for measles but whatever may be spreading in that part of the world. When you’re going to do international travel, you need to do your homework as to what you might contract when you’re over there and what you can do about it before you go.”
Three measles cases have been reported in Harris County this year but at least one who contracted the virus was showing symptoms in late 2024 and those cases do not appear to be linked to the West Texas outbreak.
Persse said he’s unaware of any protocols in place at local hospitals or airports to test people or stop a potential spread. The Houston Health Department has been hosting vaccination clinics in the region’s “at-risk neighborhoods” including immigrant communities where vaccination rates may be low and attempting to raise public awareness, the doctor said.
“In public health, we don’t really have a lot of tools,” Persse said. “The one tool that we have is public messaging. During the [COVID-19] pandemic, retrospectively, and I don’t want to throw any particular organization under the bus, it wasn’t handled great. We lost a tremendous amount of credibility and without credibility, you really don’t have public messaging.”
A nationwide panic over vaccines occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, immunization expert Dr. Peter Hotez has said, prompting a politically-motivated anti-vax campaign. Bills are currently pending in the state legislature to allow families to have a choice when it comes to child vaccination. Exemptions already are granted for personal beliefs, military service, or if a health provider deems it unsafe.
Fort Bend County Judge KP George also urged vaccination and vigilance in checking symptoms, which can include high fever, cough runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a rash.
