Texas Measles Outbreak Could Spark National Crisis If Not Handled Soon

Recent news of multiple cases of Measles in Texas have concerned many in the state. But now, the entire nation's safety is in jeopardy. Here's what is known at the time of writing.

How Did This Issue With Measles Begin?

Per ABC13, Texas has seen a spike in cases for an extended period of time. Of the currently reported cases, a majority of them have been reported from the Lone Star State. Due to this, other states around Texas have recorded cases of Measles.

But these cases have not only caused issues for states bordering Texas, the health of the entire nation could be affected. According to a Specialist for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Assistant Vice President of Global Health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Glenn Fennelly:

"This demonstrates that this (vaccine exemption) policy puts the community, the county, and surrounding states at risk because of how contagious this disease is...We are running the risk of threatening global stability."

Get our free mobile app

How Does Texas Stop The Growth Of Cases?

Unfortunately, it will take time for Texas to get things fixed. ABC13 revealed that it may take up to a year to slow down cases in the state itself. The main area of concern? Children that are school-aged and do not have a measles vaccine.

As stated by Director and Health Authority for Dallas County Health and Human Services, Phil Huang:

"We have several pockets of population that have high unvaccinated groups. We sent out a letter to public and private school districts with low vaccination rates explaining the situation and asking them to update their children's shots."

For the state to stop the spread, experts in public health have urged both adults and children to get vaccinated. At the situation continues to develop, we will have more information when it becomes available.