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NATCHEZ — If your children have received their normal childhood vaccinations, you need not worry about them contracting measles, said a retired former Natchez physician.

An outbreak of measles in western Texas — 146 cases as of this morning including the death of one child — has many concerned. Adults ask if they should receive a measles vaccination — an MMR — booster.

Almost all measles cases contracted in the Texas outbreak are among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. According to an ABC News report released Friday morning, 79 of the cases were unvaccinated, and in 62 cases, the vaccination status is unknown.

Dr. Kenneth Stubbs said Friday morning that isolated outbreaks like the one being experienced now in Texas are not uncommon.

“These kinds of things happen periodically. Proper vaccination as a child seems to be very effective at reducing these outbreaks,” Stubb said. “Almost all of these outbreaks start with people who were not vaccinated as children.

“About measles, regardless of your past vaccination status, people born before 1957 are generally considered to be immune, but if they are in a setting where they will be exposed such as health care workers or if someone will be in a situation where they are likely to be exposed, they should consider getting a booster,” he said.

Stubbs and his wife, Karen, went on a mission trip to Costa Rica several years ago, and they received the MMR booster as a precaution.

“This is not treatment advice. However, if you don’t know your vaccination status and think you could be in a position to be exposed, it will not hurt to get the MMR booster,” he said.

Stubbs practiced medicine for 42 years in Natchez. Friday was the first anniversary of his retirement.