An unvaccinated school age child has died as the result of a measles outbreak that has been raging in Texas, according to the state’s health department. This marks the first death associated with the ongoing outbreak.
In a Wednesday press release, the Texas Department of State Health Services said that the child was hospitalized in Lubbock, Texas, last week and tested positive for measles. So far, 18 people have been hospitalized due to the outbreak in the South Plains and Panhandle regions.
From late January through Tuesday, 124 total cases had been reported. Most of the cases are children. Earlier this month, Audacy reported that the outbreak was primarily affecting children in a rural Mennonite community with low vaccination rates. By Feb. 19, it had already spread to New Mexico, where an outbreak was declared on Feb. 14.
“Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus,” the Texas Department of State Health Services warned Wednesday. “During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia. Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight.”
Measles can spread via contact with infectious droplets and through the air when an infected person coughs, breathes or sneezes. Typically, early symptoms begin around one or two weeks after exposure and they include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Later symptoms include a telltale rash that breaks out as flat, red spots, first on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body.
People with measles are contagious for around four days before the rash appears and around four days after. They should stay home from work or school while infectious, and isolate while a health care provider is contacted.
“The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine,” said the Texas Department of State Health Services. “Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent more than 97% of measles infections,” though a small number of vaccinated people can contract the virus. Still, those who are vaccinated are less likely to spread the illness to others.
Last Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 93 cases of measles had been reported nationwide. It said that 95% of people who contracted the virus were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Per the CDC, 30% of the measles cases were reported in children under 5 years old and 25% of the measles cases resulted in hospitalizations and that 43% of those hospitalized were age 5 or younger.
States other than Texas and New Mexico where cases have been reported include Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. This week, there was a report of an Orange County infant infected with measles who arrived at Los Angeles International Airport following overseas travel earlier in February. According to reports, health officials Wednesday were notifying passengers on the flight they have increased risk of exposure.
As of last Thursday, there had been three outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) reported in the U.S. this year. In 2024, 16 total outbreaks were reported, accounting for 198 of the 285 total cases reported last year.
Around a year ago, Audacy reported on a measles outbreak in Florida that closed down a school. In April 2024, Audacy also reported that health officials were concerned about “rapidly increasing cases of measles spreading around the world,” last April, and the possibility that the U.S. was on “the cusp of another massive outbreak like we experienced in 2019.”
As the outbreak in Texas continues growing, a new guard of federal health officials are settling in to their positions, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He has a history of vaccine skepticism that is so well known that even one prominent Republican was wary of approving his nomination from Republican President Donald Trump.
“He’s already making moves that could affect immunization uptake and policy in the U.S.” said CNBC in a report this week. “HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those efforts.”
While Kennedy said during his Senate confirmation hearings that he isn’t “anti-vaccine” and would do nothing to make it “difficult or discourage people from taking” shots for measles and polio, CNBC noted that public health in the U.S. might not be as vaccine-friendly during his tenure. It said that in “his first speech to staff, Kennedy said last week that he will review the childhood vaccine schedule despite earlier pledges not to do so.”
ABC News reported that Kennedy “appeared to downplay” the current measles outbreak this week.
"It’s not unusual; we have measles outbreaks every year,” he said, according to the outlet.
In Texas, the Department of State Health Services recommends that children receive one dose of MMR at 12 to 15 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years.
“Children too young to be vaccinated are more likely to have severe complications if they get infected with the measles virus. However, each MMR dose lowers the risk of infection and the severity of illness if infected,” said the department.