An unvaccinated infant has been confirmed as Travis County's second measles case of 2026, after visiting a Lakeway urgent care and an Austin pediatrics office while infectious. Health officials say the baby was likely exposed while traveling internationally, and clinics are now reaching out to patients who may have crossed paths with the child.
Austin Public Health confirmed the new case, according to CBS Austin, which reported that the infant visited Vik Complete Care Lakeway in Lakeway on September 5 and Texas Children's Pediatrics Hill Country Pediatrics in Austin on September 8 while contagious. Austin Public Health and the clinics are now providing risk assessments and notifying potentially exposed patients, per the same report. Dr. Desmar Walkes said measles poses a serious risk, especially now that kids are heading back to school, and stressed that getting the MMR vaccine protects you, family, friends, classmates and coworkers.
How the Virus Spreads So Easily
Measles spreads through the air and can linger on surfaces for up to two hours, the station notes, and up to nine in ten unprotected people nearby will become infected if exposed. Symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, rash, red watery eyes and small white spots in the mouth. Complications can include pneumonia and encephalitis, and the disease can be fatal, particularly in children under 5, pregnant women and immunocompromised people. Anyone who believes they were exposed should isolate at home and contact a health care provider, per the report. Texas Children's has reached all affected families, the station added.
This is Travis County's second measles case of the year. The first, confirmed in May 2026, involved an unvaccinated adult who caught measles while traveling internationally. According to a statement from the City of Austin, that man was infectious while visiting St. David's Emergency Center in North Austin on May 4, following his return from abroad. Together, the two cases both involved international travel.
Why Infant Travelers Are Especially Vulnerable
The MMR vaccine requires two doses for full immunity, and the standard series doesn't begin until a child is 12 to 15 months old, leaving younger infants without routine protection. Updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel guidance from April 2026 recommends that infants aged 6 to 11 months get an early MMR dose before international travel, though that early dose does not replace the standard two-dose series later on. The shot is available at doctors' offices, pharmacies, and Austin Public Health's Shots for Tots and Big Shots clinics, per KEYE's report.
The Travis County cases are landing amid a national surge. Reuters reported 3,118 confirmed measles cases across 47 U.S. jurisdictions so far in 2026, already surpassing the 2,289 cases recorded nationwide during all of 2025. A NACCHO report provided broader measles context, while Texas Department of State Health Services data show that the state's January-to-August 2025 outbreak infected 762 people, hospitalized 99, and killed two unvaccinated school-aged children. The Texas Department of State Health Services notes that outbreak was the state's largest since 1992, when 1,097 cases were confirmed statewide.
Local Vaccination Gaps and Rising Exemptions
Central Texas has long faced a vulnerability problem. Texas Department of State Health Services data on kindergarten MMR vaccination rates were reported by FOX 7 Austin. Statewide, the trend has continued in the wrong direction: KERA News reported in August that U.S. kindergarten MMR coverage dropped to 92.4% for the 2025-2026 school year.
Texas provides conscientious vaccine exemption forms, while local school districts are meanwhile tightening their own response protocols.
Austin Public Health has been building tools to get ahead of exactly this kind of scenario. In earlier Hoodline reporting, the agency and the University of Texas at Austin launched a nationwide online measles outbreak calculator using a stochastic SEIR model to simulate how the virus spreads through under-vaccinated populations. The new infant case in Travis County follows that earlier work.
