Keeping Your Little Ones Safe

As families prepare for holiday travel, Cook Children's Health Care System provides tips on staying healthy amid a measles outbreak. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 541 cases statewide on Friday, April 11, with the majority concentrated in Gaines County.

Measles is highly contagious; one infected person can potentially infect 12 to 18 unvaccinated individuals. The virus spreads through infectious respiratory droplets and airborne transmission (from coughing or sneezing), where tiny droplets can remain suspended in the air.

 Measles symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after infection. 

They can include:

• Rash
• Fever, sometimes over 104º Fahrenheit or 40 º Celsius
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Red, watery eyes
• Sore throat
• Tiredness

How do we stay safe?

The most effective prevention against measles is vaccination. The size of the virus makes it more contagious. Measles can live in the air in a room where an infected patient has been for two hours after that patient leaves.

This means that if ten unvaccinated children are in a room and one of them has measles, nine out of ten of them will likely catch the virus. 

In addition to getting vaccinated, the spread of measles can be mitigated by proper hygiene. This includes:

• Handwashing
• Covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
• Avoid sharing drinks or eating utensils
•  Disinfect frequently touched surfaces

What about other illnesses?

While Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Fort Worth and Prosper are not seeing an abnormal number of cases for RSV, COVID, and Flu, these illnesses can be prevented with proper hygiene as well.

It is important to speak to your primary care physician if you have any questions or concerns about vaccines. There are now vaccines to help prevent the severity of RSV, COVID, and Flu.

Where can you get immunized?
Here are a few resources and tips for finding a place to take your child for immunizations. 

• Check with your child’s doctor. Ask which vaccines are due and make an appointment. If your child needs a doctor, see our locations or call 211 for help. 
• Visit a public health vaccine clinic. Anyone from any county can call Tarrant County Public Health at 817-248-6299 to make an appointment or to find a walk-in clinic. 
• Check with your local school district for vaccine events. 
• Enter your zip code at Vaccines.gov to find other options. 
   

If a parent suspects their child may have measles, they should call the primary care doctor before arriving at the office so arrangements can be made for safety and to minimize potential exposure in the waiting room.