One case of the measles has been confirmed at Plano West Senior High School, according to a news release dated Aug. 24 from Collin County Health Care Services.

The county said anyone who had been in the school Aug. 14-16 could have been exposed to the highly contagious, airborne virus.

Symptoms of the virus include rash, fever, cough, runny nose and eye redness, and patients are contagious from four days before and after the appearance of a rash, according to the news release.

The county advised anyone who may have been exposed to the virus to monitor themselves for symptoms until Sept. 6—even if the individual has already vaccinated for the virus. The county also requested individuals who have not been vaccinated for measles, or who have received only a partial immunization, to “stay home from school, child care settings, and group settings,” until 21 days after the individual may have first come in contact with the virus.

"There is no immediate impact on school operations,” PISD spokesperson Lesley Range-Stanton said in a statement. "Classes and extracurricular activities will proceed as scheduled. In an abundance of caution, the district has taken extra measures to disinfect the impacted areas."

Because exemptions from vaccinations are allowed by state law, the state has limited tools for addressing vaccination rate increases, Texas Department of State Health Services Chris Van Deusen said in a previous interview with Community Impact Newspaper.

“We can’t twist people’s arms and we can’t force vaccinations, because exemptions are a legal—that’s a right that people have,” Van Deusen said at the time. “Obviously, we fall back on the science and we talk about the benefits of immunization and how important they’ve been over the decades, since they were one of the ultimate achievements of public health in the 20th century.”