SAN ANTONIO – Health officials are warning of a measles outbreak in Central Texas after identifying cases in unvaccinated residents of Kendall and Bandera counties.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) issued a public health update Friday, noting that the initial case was linked to out-of-state travel.

Disease Overview and Symptoms

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness spread through direct contact or airborne droplets when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected individual has left the area.

According to DSHS, symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after exposure and include:

High fever, cough, and runny nose.Red, watery eyes.A “telltale” rash of flat, red spots that usually starts at the hairline or face before spreading down the body.Koplik spots, which are tiny bluish-white specks inside the mouth.

Patients are considered contagious from four days before the rash appears until four days after its onset.

Vaccination and Prevention

Health officials emphasized that two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effective at preventing the disease. While some vaccinated individuals may still contract the virus, they typically experience milder symptoms and are less likely to spread it to others.

DSHS recommends children receive their first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and a second dose between ages 4 and 6.

Public Health Guidance

Residents who suspect they have been exposed or are showing symptoms are urged to isolate immediately. To prevent further spread, the DSHS advises calling a healthcare provider before arriving at a clinic for testing so the facility can prepare.

Under the Texas Administrative Code, schools and childcare centers must exclude unimmunized children for at least 21 days following their last exposure to a measles case.

Health care providers are asked to report suspected cases immediately to local health departments, preferably while the patient is still present to facilitate rapid testing and investigation.

Mexico state steps up health screening in schools as measles cases grow nationwide

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s most populous state said Monday it was stepping up health screening at schools and recommended the use of face masks for students and staff as the country confronts a growing measles outbreak.

The decision by Mexico state followed similar measures announced last week in the western state of Jalisco, site of the country’s largest outbreak, where masks are now required in the schools of its capital Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city.

Through Feb. 6, there were 2,143 confirmed measles cases nationwide and nearly 6,000 suspected cases. Jalisco was home to more than half of Mexico’s confirmed cases, but there are confirmed cases from Mexico’s northern border to its southern border.

The health department of Mexico state, which hugs Mexico City on three sides, said students’ temperatures will be taken at school entrances and the state will push a vaccination campaign.

Measles cases began surging last year in the northern border state of Chihuahua. Officials traced that outbreak that began in March 2025 to an 8-year-old unvaccinated Mennonite boy who visited relatives in Seminole, Texas — at the center of the U.S. outbreak.

The Chihuahua outbreak has since been controlled, but there are confirmed measles cases now in all of Mexico’s 32 states.

Mexico state Health Secretary Macarena Montoya Olvera said Monday that the outbreak in the state is under control and that the cases have so far been light. The federal government has confirmed 40 cases there.

Neighboring Mexico City has launched an aggressive vaccination campaign. As of last Friday, there were 166 confirmed cases.

The Pan American Health Organization issued an epidemiological alert last week following a surge of measles cases across the Americas.

Canada lost its measles-free status in November and the same could happen to the United States and Mexico.