What’s Tarrant’s measles plan? Health director says he’ll release it after briefing commissioners
Tarrant County Public Health Director Dr. Brian Byrd said he can’t share measles preparedness plans with the public until after he’s briefed county commissioners.
“We have a plan put together,” Byrd said Monday. “I have yet to share it with the commissioners and elected officials so I can’t share it with the public yet.”
A measles outbreak in West Texas has infected 146 people, the majority of them children, and one child has died. No cases have been reported in Tarrant County yet.
“We do think there’s a moderate to high likelihood that we will see at least one case in Tarrant County,” Byrd said. “We’ll be ready to respond accordingly.”
He said the department had nailed down more detailed plans but that he could not share them.
Measles vaccination rates in Tarrant County have dipped over the last five years, from 96% of kindergartners vaccinated in 2019 to 92% in 2023. The Fort Worth school district, the county’s largest, has experienced an ever bigger decline, from 96% of students in 2019 to 84% last year.
Measles vaccination rates have dipped so low in the county that about one-third of elementary schools could not prevent an outbreak if a child or staff member came to school while infected, according to a Star-Telegram analysis of school vaccination data.
Vaccination rates of at least 95% are necessary to prevent measles outbreaks. The virus that causes measles is highly contagious, and spreads easily among unvaccinated people. Two doses of the measles vaccine reduces the chances of getting infected by 97%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
