Hundreds of Texans can travel back home from the holidays through the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
All this travelling through the airport of the city comes almost a week after someone travelling through the ABIA gates with a confirmed case of measles. According to the CDC, it is the first Austin outbreak in 20 years, but part of over 1,200 outbreaks in the country— most in the past 10 years.
The person with measles at the airport could have infected other people within two hours of flying. Nonetheless, after two hours, it is impossible to get contaminated.
Bryce Dubee with the Aviation Department of the city suggests that people should take small steps to protect themselves from measles and other infectious diseases.
“An airport is like a large public space with lots of people going through it at the end of the day. We’re also in the middle of the season for cold and flu. So you’d take the same precautions to avoid a cough, to avoid flu, to touch your face. Cover your mouth or a sneeze, or what symptoms you should look for, “Dubee said.
According to Dubee, measles case travellers were informed by the CDC and individual airlines. “It’s really serious. Children will die of measles every year. This causes brain injury issues. It causes pneumonia complications, “Dr Richard Lampe said with the Texas Pediatric Society and the Department of Pediatrics Chair of Texas Tech.
He had his own measles as a child. This was before the vaccine in the United States that almost wiped out measles. He tells me that most cases are like this latest in Austin –brought from abroad–but the ability to spread has increased as the country’s vaccination rates are falling.
“The kids who are really vulnerable are the kids who are under a year of age. The majority of us should be immunized to help protect those kids, “Dr Lampe said.
The good news–he says –is that, in particular, Texas and Austin have good employees in the department of public health. For kids on planes coming back from vacation and getting ready to go back to school in January, he says it’s something to keep in mind.
