The Texas measles outbreak that sickened 762 people since late January is over, state health officials said Monday.
Health officials have not confirmed a new case in the counties where the outbreak was spreading in more than 42 days, passing the threshold public health officials use to declare measles outbreaks over. The last outbreak-related case in Texas was on July 1, according to state data.
Two young Texas children died of the virus earlier this year and 100 people were hospitalized throughout the outbreak. The cases were linked to outbreaks in Canada and Mexico and jumped to other states in the U.S.
State officials say they will keep monitoring for new cases. Before the outbreak, most doctors in the state hadn’t even seen a case of measles because of how uncommon it has become, said Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Jennifer Shuford.
She credited testing, vaccination, monitoring and education with helping to end the outbreak.
“I want to highlight the tireless work of the public health professionals across the state who contributed to the containment of one of the most contagious viruses," Shuford said in a statement.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that causes a rash, respiratory symptoms and can cause severe complications or death. It is prevented by the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is recommended for young kids before they start school.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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