Metro Health officials told the City Council committee they are investigating a varicella (chickenpox) exposure in San Antonio that involved visits to several public locations and have launched contact-tracing, vaccination outreach and communications to reduce spread.

At the committee meeting, Metro Health epidemiology staff said the exposure timeline began Feb. 14–15 and included visits to the University of Texas at San Antonio campus, the San Antonio River Walk and a restaurant. ‘‘It’s very contagious; 90% of unvaccinated people who had contact can become infected,’’ a Metro Health official said. Staff noted that symptoms can appear up to 21 days after exposure and that the agency identified multiple close contacts and has been notifying them daily.

Officials said the first fatality associated with the local exposure was reported on Feb. 26 and involved an unvaccinated child. Metro Health outlined its response steps: active surveillance and investigation of exposures, guidance and communication with partner institutions (including UTSA and school districts), vaccine events coordinated with libraries and community partners, and guidance distributed to schools and first responders.

Metro Health staff said existing vaccine coverage for children up to age 12 remains high in many places but that coverage has fallen in some neighborhoods since the COVID-19 pandemic. They described targeted outreach to neighborhoods with lower coverage and said school nurses and district officials are being notified; students not vaccinated and with a confirmed school case would be excluded for 21 days per public-health reporting rules.

Committee members asked when the public should expect updates and how long monitoring will continue; staff said cases linked to the identified exposure could appear through March 8 given the incubation period and pledged to issue updates if new confirmed cases arise. Staff reiterated standard recommendations: vaccination, staying home when ill and reporting suspect cases to Metro Health.

Metro Health also said it maintains appointed staff on weekends and is coordinating with community vaccination partners to offer clinics this week. Officials said MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines and related pediatric immunizations are available at Metro Health clinics, and that uninsured residents can obtain vaccinations with a nominal administrative fee waived where necessary.