Patient Family Resources & Handouts
Measles: What you need to know to keep your child safe
Your child is being tested for measles
Quarantine or isolation at home
We have the quarantine handout in Arabic, French, Pashto, and Vietnamese as well.
Vaccine and immunization facts
Measles FAQs: What Parents Need to Know
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).
Patient/Family Signage for Cook Children's Offices and Locations
Clinics from across the system have asked for signage related to exposure from measles. Please click here for this helpful printout that you can place on the front door of your office. The information has been approved by Alice Phillips, M.D., MPH, FAAP, Director for Ambulatory Quality and Safety.
Patient Education
The following information is in the patient education portal and in Epic in the Discharge Navigator, Phase II Navigator, Wrap-Up Activity, and Disposition Activity. Search in the Patient Instructions & Attachments or Clinical References area add to the AVS. If you enter the word “cook” into your search, it will find our custom handouts that will have “CC” in front of them.
- Measles Prevention: Information Handout for Patient Families (Source: Medical Library) - English
- Measles Prevention: Information Handout for Patient Families (Source: Medical Library) - Spanish
- For information on child testing in both English and Spanish, click here.
- For information on quarantine and isolation in 15 languages, click here.
Please return to the patient education portal or Epic to retrieve these when needed. Do not save to your hard drive or print more copies than you can use in a week. Guidance may change and this will ensure you are always getting the most recent update.
More From Checkup Newsroom
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.
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.