Measles is a virus you can catch in a shopping mall -- even a doctor's waiting room. That's why it troubles doctors so much that many people choose not to vaccinate their children.
Immunologist Dr. Melanie Mouzoon at Kelsey-Seybold Clinics says this puts her profession in a bad situation, as it tries to keep the virus from spreading.
It’s really been shown that they do not contribute to autism,” Dr. Mouzoon says. “It’s really hard for us as physicians to keep pressing that points because autism is scary for families.”
The viral particles can stay in the air for two hours after a contagious-stage person leaves, meaning it is easily passed along. Houston has many pockets of unvaccinated children, making this area vulnerable to the threat.
“This is a virus that people can catch in a shopping mall, they can catch in a doctor's waiting room, they can catch it in a school setting, they can catch it in an airport lobby,” she points out, “if someone has passed through with measles.”