Measles has claimed its first life in the United States in ten years, with a school-age child in West Texas succumbing to the disease. This tragic event is part of a larger outbreak that has infected at least 124 people, mostly children, in rural areas of the state. The child who died had not received the measles vaccination.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has downplayed the severity of the outbreak, stating that measles outbreaks occur annually in the U.S. During a cabinet meeting, Kennedy mentioned that there have been four measles outbreaks this year and 16 last year, suggesting that the current situation is not unusual. However, he also mentioned two fatalities, which contradicts local reports confirming only one death.
Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas, confirmed the single death and noted that it was verified by state health authorities. Dr. Lara Johnson, a pediatrician at Covenant Children’s Hospital, emphasized that hospitalized patients were admitted due to breathing difficulties, not for quarantine purposes.
Approximately 20 children have been treated for measles, with several requiring intensive care. None of these children had been vaccinated against the disease.
The outbreak is primarily confined to areas near the New Mexico border, where nine additional cases have been reported. Health officials are investigating whether these cases are linked to the Texas outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked the outbreak to a strain of the measles virus currently circulating in Europe and parts of Asia.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 due to widespread vaccination. However, increasing vaccine hesitancy has led to fewer children receiving the recommended two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is 97% effective in preventing the disease.
In Gaines County, where the outbreak began, nearly 18% of children had vaccine exemptions during the 2023-2024 school year.
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