Campus Measles Update

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Subject: Campus Measles Update

April 9, 2025

I wanted to give the campus and staff a quick update on the measles situation. Last week we received official confirmation from the lab that our recruit in Basic Training did have measles, and 12 additional men in Basic Training or our volunteers have since developed cases of measles. At this point, the Battalion does not have anyone sick with the measles, so I am shifting my focus toward keeping them from exposure through Graduation. Since members of the campus community have developed cases, we are trying to limit the staff/Battalion exposure opportunities until the end of the semester.

Here are the updated Battalion protocols through the end of the semester:

The men will be eating in the back of the dining room to limit exposure time at meals
The Battalion will continue doing church together instead of attending church off campus or Campus Fellowship
The Battalion will not be attending campus-wide events like singspirations, staff family fellowships, or staff lunches
No outside individuals are allowed into Aspen without preclearance through Sergeant Major.
The Battalion is not allowed to come into the Admin building

Outside of those changes, we are continuing to train as normal, and plan on sending the men on their scheduled class trips and clinicals at this point. I appreciate your help in keeping the men from getting exposed for the next seven weeks so that training can continue as scheduled.

If you’re interested, here is how the sickness has progressed in the cases that we have seen so far:

10-14 days after exposure the initial sickness begins as a fever and generally feeling unwell
After about 24 hours, the fever clears and the patient feels recovered
After about another 24 hours the fever returns and the patient gets quite sick
About 2 days later the rash develops
1-2 days after the rash develops the patient starts recovering slowly
From the initial onset of symptoms to the patient’s return to training is about 8 days

According to the information the state has provided us with, you are contagious for 4 days prior to the start of the rash through 4 days after the rash develops. Some of our exposures have happened after we incorrectly assumed that the initial fever recovery meant that the patient did not have measles, allowing them to resume life as normal while they were unknowingly contagious, only for the symptoms to return a day later.

For more information on measles and the current outbreak, you can visit the Texas Department of State Health Services’ website: https://dshs.texas.gov/measles

Thank you for your prayers for the men, and for your help making training successful every quarter.

Capt. Samuel Winkler | Unit 42

ALERT Battalion Commanding Officer

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Subject: Campus Measles Update