11 suspected cases of measles as of March 15 were reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services in an ongoing outbreak in McLennan County in Central Texas. Five people were reported Friday, and health officials are investigating the illnesses and determining the possible route of transmission. The number of reported cases might change, as it can take up to 21 days for measles symptoms to appear. Since most people are now vaccinated, public health officials have seen a sharp decrease in the number of measles cases in the United States. Still, outbreaks have continued, usually among unvaccinated people traveling internationally, contracting the virus and then spreading it to unvaccinated people in their community, which has led to the highest number of measles cases in the United States since 1994. Two outbreaks in recent months in the Minneapolis area affected 13 people, and at least 20 other cases among unvaccinated residents are being investigated in Texas.
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