Possible measles exposure reported at Frisco Walmart

FRISCO, Texas - Health officials in Collin County have confirmed a measles exposure in Frisco.

Frisco Measles Exposure

What's new:

According to the Collin County Health Department, the exposure was on Tuesday at Walmart near Highway 121 and Custer Road.

The infected person was at the store between 1:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Officials said anyone who may have been in that store who is unvaccinated, pregnant, or immunocompromised should contact their healthcare provider.

Texas Measles Outbreak

By the numbers:

State health officials said the number of measles cases in the state linked to a West Texas outbreak has grown to 683 since January. 20 of those cases are new cases reported on Friday.

Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, did not report any additional cases on Friday. The county has reported 396 cases and accounts for more than half of the state's cases.

Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry, and Yoakum counties have been designated as "outbreak counties" by DSHS.

There have been 89 patients hospitalized since the outbreak started.

In Texas, two school-aged children have died from complications with the measles. Neither was vaccinated, and state health officials said they had no known underlying conditions.

Measles in North Texas

What we know:

Collin, Denton, and Rockwall counties have all reported measles cases, but they are not considered to be connected to the West Texas outbreak.

Denton County health officials said a person was recently confirmed to have a case of measles. That person visited several places in North Texas while believed to be infectious, including a Texas Rangers game.

Collin County Health Care Services confirmed a student at Willow Springs Middle School in Lucas had measles. Officials notified contacts and said families should make sure vaccinations are up to date.

In Rockwall County, one case was linked to international travel. The other person traveled to West Texas recently but health officials have not officially linked the case to the outbreak. 

What is measles?

Why you should care:

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. 

Measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. 

Illness onset (high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes) begins a week or two after someone is exposed. A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. 

A person is contagious from about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People with measles should stay home from work or school during that period.

Symptoms of Measles

Common symptoms of measles include: 

• High fever (as high as 105°F)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red and watery eyes
• Tiny white spots that may appear inside the mouth 2-3 days after symptoms begin
• Rash 3-5 days after other signs of illness. The "measles rash" typically starts at the face and then spreads down to the rest of the body.

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