Hello parents:
Considering that cases of measles have been identified at a Canyon school and West Texas A&M University, please read the most recent Amarillo Health Department advisories at amarilloalerts.com. If you have been notified that your child has been exposed to measles, please contact our office.
Measles is very contagious infecting up to 90% of non-vaccinated children who are exposed to an active case. Measles is a very serious illness, especially in small children that are not yet vaccinated.
We believe it is the right of parents to decide which vaccines to administer to their child and the timing of those vaccines. If your child has been on a delayed vaccine schedule and has not received the MMR vaccine, this local outbreak would be a good time to reconsider administering one to your child, so please call the office to discuss vaccination.
The MMR vaccine is normally given at 12 months of age or older, and it cannot be given to infants less than 6 months of age or immunocompromised children. However, if your child is 6-12 months of age with a normal immune system and you would like to have your child vaccinated, please call the office. We have MMR vaccine from the health department to ensure that you will not need to rely on your insurance company to pay for the dose.
We need to see children in the office who have symptoms which could be consistent with measles including fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes or a skin rash. If we are concerned that your child could have measles, we will perform a PCR test and ask you to avoid exposing your child to other people until the results are available.
Children who are diagnosed with measles must be quarantined for a full 4 days after the onset of the rash.
John M. Young, MD
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