A measles outbreak has taken over West Texas with US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) taking immediate action against the epidemic.
Related: Measles: Symptoms, spread, treatment, and vaccine
As reported by CNN, CDC turned to their X account on Tuesday, March 4, to announce their collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The statement began, "This partnership - known as Epi-Aid - is a rapid response by CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Services (EIS) to tackle urgent public health issues like disease outbreaks."
"EIS officers provide local officials onsite support for `-3 weeks, aiding in quick decision-making to control health threats. The local authority leads the investigation while collaborating with CDC experts," the social media post concluded.
According to the latest report on Tuesday, cases in Texas have reached 159, including 22 people who are hospitalised, with the majority of the patients belonging to Gaines County, which is one of the largest un-vaccinated Mennonite population.
Along with that, Texas witnessed the first death due to the outbreak last week, when an un-vaccinated school-age child with no prior health conditions passes away, making it the first US measles death in a decade.
Read More: Measles outbreak in US causes first death in a decade
Prior to this, CDC had provided lab support and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines to Texas in order to help with the outbreak.
