One suspected case of measles reported in Ector County

There is now one suspected case of measles in Ector County, according to the Midland Pediatric Associates Facebook

.

If confirmed, it would be the first case in the metro area.

More than 110 cases have been confirmed in the US since the first of the year. Most are in Washington state and Oregon, but there are also confirmed cases in Harris and Dallas Counties.

According to the Facebook post, measles is caused by an airborne virus. Symptoms are red measles and rubeola. The disease spreads from coughs and sneezes of infected people. It may also be spread through contact with saliva or other bodily fluids.

Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person. The symptoms will usually last 7–10 days. The initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40 °C (104.0 °F), cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis).

Officially, measles was officially declared eliminated in the US in 2000.

Since then, the disease has been limited mostly to outbreaks, like in the Pacific Northwest.

Since 2000, there have been an average of 124 cases reported in the United States per year - compared with the 5,307 cases that were reported per year since 1988.