Fort Worth doctor reflects on measles outbreak in 1990 that infected more than 4,000 Texans and killed 9 in Dallas County

The measles outbreak that started in late January in West Texas has infected dozens of people and killed a school-aged child according to the Texas Department of State. It comes as health officials released

On Wednesday, Rockwall County said an unvaccinated adult resident who traveled to Asia tested positive for the measles. They don't believe that case is connected to the outbreak in West Texas.

The number of cases in Texas alone has local health officials on alert. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 285 measles cases nationwide in 2024. This year, in Texas alone, there have been 124 reported cases.

"There's really no reason why we should have to go through this again," said Dr. Julee Morrow, a pediatrician with Cook Children's. “We're all really sad about it, we're really, really concerned because we've done this already."

She's been with the health care system for 38 years and was around in 1989 when a measles outbreak impacted the entire state.

"I ended up with about about 9 or 10 children with measles," recalled Morrow. "Every child that I diagnosed was admitted to the hospital."

She said the extremely contagious virus is difficult because there's no cure for the measles. The treatment involves providing supportive care for the symptoms associated with the virus. It includes making sure a patient has enough oxygen, stays hydrated and aids any other complications associated with the virus.

"The reason why they were admitted was because they had symptoms that were really hard for the parents to manage at home," explained Morrow about her measles patients 36 years ago.

Symptoms of measles first start off with a fever, cough, runny nose, congestion, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and small spots in the mouth. Morrow said the second phase is a rash, which could develop three to five days after the initial symptoms, along with diarrhea and vomiting.

"Even a mild case is miserable and if you've treated this, we really truly don't want to see it again," explained Murrow.  “It's very concerning and scary looking."

, in 1990 there were 4,409 reported cases of measles statewide. It was a 33% increase from 1989. Nationwide, there were about 28,000 cases in 1990.

In the state, 104 counties reported cases, most in the larger counties. Dallas County had 1,896, Tarrant County 275, Denton County 155, Harris County 130 and El Paso County 295.

There were 12 deaths in Texas from measles and 9 were in Dallas County. People who died ranged in age from 15 months to 30 years old, according to the state.

The current outbreak and the news of a school-age child dying from measles in West Texas has many parents calling Morrow's clinic to check their kid's vaccination status, she said.

"Get vaccinated. The vaccine is extremely effective. It's one of the most effective vaccines that we have in our armamentarium of protected kids," said Murrow.

, a single dose of the measles vaccine is 93% effective and the second dose increases it to 97%. Usually, once a child turns one, they get their first shot and the next shot is at 4 years old.

In the last few years, state data has shown fewer North Texas students are getting vaccinated.

Dr. Morrow said for families who still don't want to vaccinate their children, she encourages them to prepare

“If this is your decision you need to make a plan for how you're going to take care of your child," said Morrow. "What are you going to do if your child comes down with measles?"

"The spread of measles is 90%, so that means if you are in a room with 10 other children, your child is in a room with 10 other children that are also susceptible that have not been vaccinated, nine of those 10 children will most likely come down with the measles. You can't travel on an airplane, you can't go to the zoo, you can't go to the park, you can't go to daycare, you can't go to the church nursery, you can't go to school, you can't go to preschool, you can't go to the mall, you need to stay home with your child if your child comes down with the measles and you need to stay home for nine days because it's going to take nine to ten days for the contagious period to resolve," explained Morrow.

, the measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

Morrow said she never thought she would see another outbreak in her career.

“There’s no reason we should have to go through this again, we have, we have, we have science, we have the technology to take care of this problem," said Morrow. "This is a preventable problem, completely preventable."

She said she hopes people come together as a community.

"I'm a native Texan, I feel like Texans kind of look out for one another and this is your time to shine, if you want to look out for one another. If you want to call us, we will help you, we will get your child vaccinated," said Morrow.

To see the state's list of school vaccination exceptions in each county, .