A toddler in Houston has tested positive for measles, the city’s first case in five years.
The boy, between the ages of 1 and 3, recently traveled overseas with his family where he may have contracted the disease, according to Houston health officials.
The test results were confirmed by the Texas Children’s Hospital where the boy is being treated.
Houston Health Department officials said measles is rare because it is preventable with the proper vaccine. Officials with the department said the last confirmed case in Harris County was in 2013.
A total of 9 measles outbreaks, which are defined as three or more related cases, have been confirmed in the United States this year, according to the CDC.
As of August 11, 2018, there have been 124 confirmed individual cases of the disease. In all of 2017, 118 people were reported to have the measles.
Eight cases are in Texas, including the recent positive results from the Houston toddler.
Health professional continue to advise parents to consider vaccinating their children, as the CDC reports that the majority of people who get the disease are not vaccinated.
