Community Education from Checkup Newsroom
Proactive Protection: Cook Children's Measles Response Plan
Cook Children’s Medical Center-Fort Worth Infectious Diseases ICU has six negative-pressure rooms to care for children potentially diagnosed with measles.
“It takes planning,” explained Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
The unit has six beds and dedicated areas for visitors and staff to put on and take off personal protective equipment (PPE). The rooms also provide a bed for family members and have specialized air ventilation systems. In the negative-air-pressure rooms, air is pulled inward, preventing recirculation.
Please click here to see this enlightening video and story.
Cook Children's Addresses Rising Measles Concerns, Feb. 28, 2025
It has been three decades since Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth last saw a measles case. In 1989 and 1990, a measles outbreak began in Houston and spread to Fort Worth.
Julee Morrow, M.D., a pediatrician at Cook Children’s Harris Parkway, is one of the few current doctors at Cook Children’s who treated patients during that time.
Measles FAQs: What Parents Need to Know, Feb. 28, 2025
The measles outbreak in Texas has reached nearly 150 cases, according to the state health department. Twenty of those patients have been hospitalized, and one school-aged child has died.
There have been no confirmed cases across Cook Children’s Health Care System.
We know questions about measles are at the top of every parent’s mind. To provide the most up-to-date information, we’ve compiled and answered some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Measles and Community Health, Feb. 13, 2025:
Measles is a highly contagious upper respiratory virus that can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant moms, infants, and young children. Last week, six school-aged children contracted measles, according to DSHS. On Feb. 11 the number increased to 24 cases, all residents of Gaines County.
Mary Suzanne Whitworth,M.D, medical director of Infectious Diseases at Cook Children’s, explained that DSHS puts out health alerts to notify physicians about disease outbreaks so they are aware of local patterns and can recognize cases.
Cook Children's Experts Share Vital Information as Nationwide Measles Cases Reach Alarmingly High Numbers, May 1, 2024:
Measles is not to be taken lightly—but it is easily preventable. Dr. Rister, Dr. Phillips, and Dr. Morrow shared vital information about the virus, its risks, and vaccination protocols to help families be proactive in protecting their children.
Q&A: Infectious Disease Doctor Shares What Parents Should Know About Measles, June 12, 2023
Measles is highly contagious. It causes severe pneumonia and can cause a progressive form of encephalitis or inflammation of the brain.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get measles by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after the person has left. An infected person can spread measles to others even before knowing he/she has the disease.