Texas child dies from measles, first U.S. fatality in a decade

A Texas child has died from measles, marking the first reported death from the disease in the U.S. in a decade, according to health officials.

On Wednesday, health officials confirmed the death of a school-aged child who was unvaccinated and had tested positive for measles following hospitalization in Lubbock, in the Texas South Plains.

The death comes amid a large measles outbreak in Texas that began in January and has since spread to New Mexico. As of Tuesday, 133 cases have been reported in the outbreak, with the majority—124 cases—occurring in Texas, largely among unvaccinated children and teenagers.

This marks the first reported measles-related death in the U.S. since a woman in Washington state died in 2015. During a meeting with President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also mentioned a second death in the outbreak, but no official reports have been released.

The newly appointed health secretary stated that the Texas outbreak is spreading mainly within a Mennonite community, while downplaying its significance, saying that “it’s not unusual” and that the U.S. experiences several measles outbreaks every year.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can cause life-threatening complications in individuals who are not protected against the virus. During an outbreak, about one in five infected individuals will require hospitalization, and one in 20 will develop pneumonia, according to Texas Health and Human Services. In rare cases, measles can lead to brain swelling and death.

Measles can be transmitted through direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Those who contract the virus typically begin to show symptoms within one to two weeks after exposure.

Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. A few days later, the characteristic measles rash appears as flat, red spots on the face before spreading down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body.

Health experts emphasize that the best way to prevent infection is through immunization with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, primarily administered as the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent more than 97 percent of measles infections.

A small number of vaccinated individuals may still develop measles, though in these cases, symptoms are generally milder, and they are less likely to spread the disease to others.