Rockwall County reports 5 measles cases

Multiple cases of measles reported in Rockwall

There are five reported cases of measles in Rockwall following a family's international trip. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.

ROCKWALL, Texas - There are now five confirmed measles cases in Rockwall County, according to health officials.

Rockwall County Measles

What we know:

According to the Rockwall County Health Authority, the cases involve five children in the same family.

The first family member began experiencing symptoms on Feb. 5 after likely being exposed during a recent international trip. That person is no longer considered contagious. 

Since then, four additional family members have developed symptoms. None of the children were vaccinated.

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Health officials said the initial patient mostly stayed home while contagious, as have other family members. They are self-quarantining, having pulled the other four children out of school before they began showing symptoms.

They visited a health care provider, which has been notified. No other locations for possible public exposure have been identified.

The strain of measles in this outbreak is a different strain from the one seen in the United States in recent years, including the outbreak in Texas from last year.

What they're saying:

Dr. Dirk Perritt of the Rockwall County Health Authority believes the threat of the possible spread of measles at the local level is low.

"So that's good news for the community. There's no exposure within the schools," Perritt told FOX 4's Amelia Jones. "The only exposure that we're aware of, there are two medical facilities that their mother took the child to. We've made them aware and, as far as we know, there's been no connection to any further cases."

The measles virus, paramyxoviridae from the Morbillivirus family, transmission microscopy view. (Photo by: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Still, he has concerns about the rise of measles cases across the country. So far in 2026, the U.S. has reported 700 measles cases.

"If you're unvaccinated, and you're traveling, especially to an area that might have cases, I think you should be concerned," Perritt continued. "When you're in that pre-phase you are contagious and most people think they have a common cold or upper respiratory illness and so that's why it's so contagious."

Local perspective:

Last year, Texas saw its largest outbreak of measles in decades, with two children dying after contracting the disease.

This has sparked a renewed effort in encouraging people to get the vaccine. Perritt doesn't think the disease is going away until those vaccination rates change.

"5-10 years ago, you didn't vaccinate your children; the risk of getting measles was close to 0," Perritt said. "That number is not close to zero anymore. So I think families that have forgone vaccinations might want to reconsider that risk."

Measles Symptoms

Big picture view:

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that spreads through respiratory droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze.

Symptoms typically start with a high fever, a cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes and white spots inside the mouth. A rash typically develops three to five days after the first symptoms begin.

What you can do:

Health officials said healthy individuals who are fully vaccinated have a very low risk of contracting the disease.

Those who are unvaccinated, too young to be vaccinated or have weakened immune systems should keep an eye out for symptoms and reach out to a healthcare provider with concerns.