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The Centers for Disease Control wants everyone with international travel plans to make sure they’re fully vaccinated against measles, a change that comes as outbreaks simmer all over North America.
A recent measles outbreak in Colorado was tied to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed in Denver. Canada and Mexico are wrestling with outbreaks, too, and now the CDC has stepped up its advice to international travelers: make sure you’re fully vaccinated or don’t go.
At least 1,088 measles infections have been reported in the U.S. so far this year — most connected to local outbreaks, including one in Texas that accounts for 742 of those cases. But CDC has also gotten 62 reports of air travelers contagious with measles while flying this year.
Each unvaccinated person on a plane with an infected traveler is at high risk for contracting the airborne virus and passing it to others, so the CDC wants travelers to confirm they’ve had both doses of the measles vaccine at least two weeks before they travel.
The Texas Outbreak
Officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported four new cases of measles in West Texas on Tuesday.
The total number of confirmed cases linked to the region's measles outbreak is now up to 742. The state issues updates every Tuesday and Friday.
Last week, McLennan County joined the list of Texas counties with confirmed measles infections tied to the West Texas outbreak. There was also a new confirmed measles case in Gaines County, where the outbreak began in January.
Ninety-four people have been hospitalized with measles. The DSHS explained that that was the total number of people hospitalized over the course of the outbreak. It was not the current number of people in the hospital.
Based on the most recent data, DSHS identified designated outbreak counties with ongoing measles transmission: Cochran, Dawson, Gaines, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry and Yoakum.
