State health officials confirm one case of measles in Erath County.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

An official with the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed that one patient was recently diagnosed with measles in Erath County.

“There is a confirmed case in a resident of Erath County,” Lara Anton, senior press officer with DSHS, told Beneath the Surface News.

“We are still investigating the source of the person’s exposure.”

Anton said it is unclear if the patient had been vaccinated.

The patient reportedly went to several local healthcare providers showing non-specific symptoms before she was finally diagnosed after developing a rash.

Those who may have been exposed have been notified.

The patient, she said, has since recovered.

The DSHS website updates its coverage of the measles outbreak every Tuesday and Friday.

The current update states:

“The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting an outbreak of measles in the South Plains and Panhandle regions of Texas.

“At this time, 327 cases have been identified since late January. Forty of the patients have been hospitalized. 

“There has been one fatality in a school-aged child who lived in the outbreak area. The child was not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions.

“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities. DSHS is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak.”

Anton said the Erath County case will be added to the list of known cases of measles on Friday.

“This case will likely be in the not related to the outbreak table at the bottom of the page until they determine if it is related to the outbreak,” she said.