The Hopkins County Health Department has issued its findings regarding a possible case of the measles in the county.
“The Hopkins County Health Department is currently doing an epidemiological investigation on a potential case of measles,” Hopkins Co. Public Health Director Denise Beach said on Wednesday in a social media post. “This is not confirmed yet, but the medical offices were cleaned and the air cleaned as a precautionary measure. If the lab test is positive for measles we will notify everyone with a possible exposure as soon as we receive a positive lab result.”
On Friday, Beach said the case was not measles.
“Measles has been ruled out in the potential case in Hopkins County,” each said in a social media post. “This was ruled out by laboratory testing.”
Beach further noted that “when a provider is concerned regarding a rash illness, preliminary precautions will be taken.”
“If there is a confirmed case of measles or any other communicable disease of community concern, the public will be notified, and the case will be investigated by the health department,” she said.
There is an outbreak of measles in Texas that has sickened 729 people since late January, according to the Texas Health and Human Services (THHS).
Of the ill patients, 94 were hospitalized over the course of the outbreak, and two children perished from the disease.
“There have been two fatalities in school-aged children who lived in the west Texas outbreak area. The children were not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions,” according to THHS.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
