This year, Texas has seen the highest number of confirmed measles cases since 2013. As of March 8, the Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed 11 cases of measles this year, according to a DSHS news statement. Two of these cases come from Denton and Collin counties, which have had one case each. This compares to nine confirmed cases in 2018 and one in 2017. Measles, a highly contagious respiratory illness, is easily spread through coughing and sneezing by an infected person. Anyone exhibiting signs of measles should contact their health care provider immediately, the statement said. Symptoms include a red rash that starts as spots on the face and moves down the body, a fever over 101 degrees, a cough, runny nose and irritated eyes. DSHS is also encouraging health care providers to consider measles more readily when diagnosing patients in an effort to catch the illness early, according to the statement. In addition, DSHS recommends immunization to prevent the virus from spreading.