Officials confirm measles case in Austin, Texas

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Texas officials are cautioning those living and visiting Austin about measles after health authorities confirmed the first case in the city since 1999.

Local health officials started notifying Austin residents Sunday about possible exposure at a handful of locations. An Austin resident contracted measles while traveling in Europe in late November and early December.

That person became sick on Dec. 14 and developed a rash on Dec. 17, the same day they boarded a commercial flight to Virginia through Chicago.

"Out of an abundance of caution, health departments in central Texas are informing people who were at various locations ... during the specified time frames that they may have been exposed," a statement on Austin Public Health website said. "Health officials are mounting a coordinated effort to inform people who may have been exposed."

Dr. Mark Escott, interim health authority at Austin Public Health, said anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to measles should contact their doctor directly instead of going to a clinic, where they could possibly infect others.

Escott said Austin is at particular risk for a measles outbreak because of a large concentration of students with waivers for state-required vaccinations for public school students.

"Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease," Escott said in a statement. "A small number of cases are capable of quickly producing epidemics. The best way to protect yourself and your family against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases is by immunization."