As measles infections spread throughout the state, board-certified emergency room physician Dr. Christopher Langan says this is the time to protect your family from this highly contagious disease.

HOUSTON, TX – Texas is experiencing an explosion in the spread of measles and board-certified emergency room physician Dr. Christopher Langan said now is the best time for families to ensure they are protected against this highly infectious disease.

Dr. Langan, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Houston, Texas-based SignatureCare Emergency Center said the best way for families to protect against this measles is to get vaccinated.

“The best way to prevent getting sick from this infection is to be immunized with two doses of the vaccine which is administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles so I will recommend that Texas families seriously consider immunizing their children if they have not done so already,” he said.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. 

“Go to any nearby emergency room if their children show signs of measles infection including difficulty breathing or breathing faster than usual, severe dehydration or confusion, blue color around the mouth, cry without making tears, have unusually low energy or severe loss of appetite.”

“During a measles outbreak, about one in five children who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia. Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight,” DSHS said.

DSHS’s interactive dashboard and additional information about the current measles outbreak can be found on the News & Alerts page that is updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.

DSHS announced this week that a second Texan has died from the measles outbreak centered in the state's South Plains region.

The school-aged child who tested positive for measles was hospitalized in Lubbock and passed away from what the child’s doctors described as measles pulmonary failure. The child was not vaccinated and had no reported underlying conditions.

Symptoms of measles infection include moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, sore throat, blue-white spots inside the mouth (Koplik spots), red-brown rash that starts at the hairline and spreads down the body, and high fever (can go over 104°F).

To get vaccinated, just go to your primary care physician (PCP) or health care provider including any nearby 24-hour emergency rooms. You can also visit a nearby pharmacy. Vaccines are also available through the Texas Vaccines for Children and Adult Safety Net Providers. 

To locate a nearby Vaccines for Children and Adult Safety Net Provider use the maps located on the Texas measles outbreak page. Pharmacies can vaccinate people 14 and older without a prescription. Children under 14 need a prescription to get the MMR vaccine at a pharmacy.

Dr. Langan urged families to go to any nearby emergency room if their children “show signs of measles infection including difficulty breathing or breathing faster than usual, severe dehydration or confusion, blue color around the mouth, cry without making tears, have unusually low energy or severe loss of appetite.”

All SignatureCare Emergency center emergency rooms throughout Texas are open 24 hours all year round. Our doors are never closed. Go to our website for our ER locations.

About SignatureCare Emergency Center

Houston, TX-based SignatureCare Emergency Center owns nine 24-hour emergency centers throughout Texas, including in Odessa, Killeen, Austin, Pflugerville, Midland, Texarkana, Lewisville, and College Station, TX.