As the measles outbreak in Texas keeps spreading, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the serious illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople are more and more nervous\u201d as they watch the highly contagious virus spread in their communities<\/a>, mostly among children, said Katherine Wells, director of public health for Lubbock’s health department. \u201cWe\u2019ve vaccinated multiple kids that have never been vaccinated before, some from families that didn\u2019t believe in vaccines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n About half of the approximately 100 doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) given at the health department last week were to kids who were unvaccinated, Wells said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services<\/a> reported that 124 cases of measles have been confirmed since late January, mostly in counties in West Texas, near the New Mexico border. So far, 18 patients have been hospitalized, often because they were having trouble breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of the 124 cases identified, 101 are babies, school-age kids or teenagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly all were either unvaccinated or hadn\u2019t received their second MMR shot, which is usually given around age 5. That dose, plus one given around a child\u2019s first birthday, are 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While that level of protection is extremely high, it\u2019s not 100%. Five of the 124 people with measles<\/a> in Texas said they\u2019d had at least one dose of the MMR shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Measles is considered one of the most contagious viruses in the world. It\u2019s spread through tiny respiratory particles that can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why a mobile health care unit offering measles testing and vaccines for people who are not sick enough to be hospitalized has set up shop in emergency department parking lots in Lubbock and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re using the bus to keep them out of the hospital because measles is so contagious and airborne,\u201d Chad Curry, training chief for the University Medical Center EMS, who is overseeing the mobile unit\u2019s operations during the outbreak, said in an interview Tuesday. <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to lessen the blow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting Wednesday, Curry\u2019s crew will offer immunoglobulin shots or infusions to people who\u2019ve had a confirmed measles exposure and who may be at risk for complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immunoglobulin, or IG, is an antibody that helps the immune system fight off infections. It can be given up to six days after a person was exposed to measles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fast-moving outbreak is certain to expand, health authorities said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n