Texas reports first death in measles outbreak
The patient was hospitalized in Lubbock. So far, the case
count in Texas remains at 124, with most cases identified in children. Eighteen
patients have been hospitalized.
“Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus. During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia,” the TDSHS said. “Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death.”
Measles was eliminated from the United States 25 years ago but dropping vaccination rates due to anti-vaccine advocacy groups erroneously
linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, has left some
communities vulnerable to outbreaks.
The last pediatric measles death in the United States before this was in 2003.
RFK Jr. minimized the latest outbreak with a series of misstatements.
During Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mistakenly said two people died in a Texas measles outbreak, but dismissed the news, saying measles outbreaks happen every year in the United States.
Kennedy gets death count wrong
During the cabinet meeting, Kennedy said, "There have
been four measles outbreaks this year. In this country last year there were 16.
So, it's not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year."
He did not provide context on the size of the outbreaks. The
current outbreak in rural West Texas has at least 124 cases, almost all in
unvaccinated children, many of whom are connected to a Mennonite community. The
entire country for all of 2024 saw 285 confirmed cases, but we're not
even one sixth of the way into 2025.
Kennedy also said two people have died, but Texas officials
yesterday confirmed only one death, in an unvaccinated child hospitalized in
Lubbock. The last pediatric measles death in the United States before this was in 2003. An adult
woman also died from measles in 2015.
The HHS Secretary said kids were being hospitalized for
quarantine purposes during the Texas outbreak. But hospital officials
from Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock clarified that 20 kids are
hospitalized for issues such as breathing problems and not quarantine.
Outbreaks occurring in unvaccinated kids
The outbreaks in rural
counties of West Texas are largely occurring among
unvaccinated or under-vaccinated members of a Mennonite community, a
TDSHS spokesperson told the Associated Press. TDSDH said the current outbreak
is the largest in the state in 30 years.
In
2019, there were 1,274 measles cases reported in the United
States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Numbers dropped during the first 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but rose
last year to 285 cases.
During the 2019-2020 school year, 95.2% of eligible
kindergarten students in the US were vaccinated against measles, according to
the CDC. That percentage has dropped to 92.7% in the 2023–2024 school year,
leaving approximately 280,000 kindergartners at risk during the 2023–2024
school year.
Measles is highly contagious. About 90% of unvaccinated
people will contract the virus if exposed. Currently the CDC recommends
children receive one dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age and another
at 4 to 6 years. Two doses will prevent 97% of measles cases.
