A second person has died from measles in Texas. Sunday, UMC Health System in Lubbock confirmed a school-age child had died there but did not say what day the child died.
The hospital did say the child had not been vaccinated.
Across Texas, the Department of State Health Services has confirmed 481 cases of measles through Friday. DSHS will release its next report Tuesday.
Of those 481, all but ten were unvaccinated.
"We need to be actively promoting policies, funding, resources to continue to preserve our ability to prevent and respond to infectious diseases like measles," says Dr. David Higgins, an instructor in pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
The outbreak in West Texas has centered around a Mennonite community in Gaines County. In Loop ISD, the Department of State Health Services says 48% of students' families had filed conscientious objections to the vaccine in the 2023-2024 school year.
"I get very concerned when I hear about counties or small communities that have 85, 80, 60 percent vaccination rates or less," Higgins says.
Higgins says 95% is the "magic number" for community immunity.
Friday, Tarrant County Public Health said someone who had tested positive for measles had visited Grapevine in March. The agency says the person stayed at Great Wolf Lodge from the morning of Friday, March 28 through the evening of Sunday, March 30.
The person had also visited Grapevine Mills Mall Saturday, March 29.
Tarrant County Public Health urges people who were at either location and have not been vaccinated, are pregnant or may be immunocompromised should watch for symptoms through April 20.
Great Wolf Lodge says it is working with Tarrant County Public Health, and "there is no ongoing concern for current or future guests to our resort."
