Health officials have confirmed two measles cases in Tarrant County, the first cases reported in the county this year.
Related:Texas measles outbreak nears 700 cases, but D-FW cases listed as not related
Tarrant County Public Health officials announced the cases late Friday evening. The two patients are “household members,” according to the announcement, and both are unvaccinated. One is a child and one is an adult.
Health officials have not yet determined where the two county residents caught the illness. Because of that, it is unclear whether the cases are connected to the ongoing outbreak that began in Gaines County.
County health officials said the two patients visited the emergency room at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center while they were contagious. People who were at the emergency room from 8 p.m. on April 29 through 3 a.m. on April 30 may have been exposed to the virus, according to the announcement.
Related:‘Get the vaccine’: North Texas couple reflects on having measles as children decades ago
Those who may have been exposed should monitor themselves for symptoms until May 20. Public health officials are investigating more potential exposure sites, according to the announcement.
The two Tarrant County cases join a handful of measles cases reported in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this year.
Related:Texas has an ongoing measles outbreak. Here’s everything you need to know about the virus
Officials reported a measles case in Denton County earlier this week. Collin County has also reported a case, and Rockwall County has reported two cases.
None of the Dallas-Fort Worth cases have been officially tied to the ongoing outbreak that began in West Texas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has listed the cases in Collin and Rockwall counties as separate from the outbreak. The department has not yet classified the Denton County case.
Since January, the measles outbreak has grown to 683 cases in Texas, plus more in New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that can spread rapidly among unvaccinated people. The two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 97% effective at preventing illness.
Measles vaccination is recommended for nearly everyone, beginning at about 12 months old. People who are pregnant or immunocompromised are not advised to take the vaccine.
Due to widespread vaccination, measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.
There have still been outbreaks and cases since then in communities with low vaccination rates. Texas’ large outbreak, however, may threaten the country’s elimination status.
