State and local health officials announced Wednesday that an unvaccinated school-aged child who was hospitalized with measles has died from the illness in West Texas. It is the first U.S. death reported from a measles outbreak since 2015.
In a press release, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said the child was hospitalized in the northwestern city of Lubbock last week and tested positive for measles. According to data from DSHS, as of Wednesday, 124 cases of measles have been confirmed associated with the outbreak that began in Gaines County (which has become the epicenter) with 80 cases confirmed among residents. Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, and 18 people have been hospitalized so far. Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases with 62, followed by 39 cases among children ages 4 and under.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said in a statement that the outbreak has since spread to several counties in the region and is “suspected” to have spread into New Mexico. The NMDOH said that nine cases have been confirmed in Lea County, which borders Texas; of the nine cases, four are among children.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said during a meeting of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members on Wednesday that the HHS is “watching” cases, and that the Texas outbreak as “not unusual … We’re following the measles epidemic every day.”
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