Six cases of measles reported in Kendall & Bandera counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said there is not a measles outbreak after multiple cases were reported in Kendall County and Bandera County.  The Kendall County case was confirmed in a Boerne household last week.  According to DSHS, that case is linked to five other measles cases that came out of another household in Bandera County.

In a statement Wednesday, DSHS said the Bandera cases are “related to a travel to another state with an ongoing outbreak of measles.”  “This situation does not meet the definition of an outbreak yet because it is just two households,” DSHS said.

The six cases were confirmed in unvaccinated people, DSHS said, and all are “no longer infectious.”  The City of Boerne said it is working with DSHS, which is working with local emergency management teams and health care providers.  DSHS is handling contact tracing and notification, the city said.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through coughing, sneezing or simply being near someone infected, according to DSHS.  The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left, making it easy to contract in shared spaces.

Earlier this month, at least two measles cases were reported inside an immigration detention center in Dilley, a city located about an hour south of San Antonio.