The source of the measles outbreak in Texas has not been determined, a top Texas official said on March 3.
“For this particular outbreak, we don’t know the individual who introduced it into the community,” Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, told a state House of Representatives committee.
Cases of measles first cropped up in Gaines County in January. Since then, an additional 144 cases have been confirmed.
Many measles outbreaks are caused by a person who travels outside the country and then returns with the disease.
A handful of cases identified in Harris County, also in January, were determined to be travel-related. Those patients did not spread the disease, which spreads through respiratory droplets, Shuford said….