Texas Measles Outbreak Claims Second Child’s Life Amid Growing Concerns

SEMINOLE, Texas — An 8-year-old girl died Thursday morning due to “measles pulmonary failure,” marking the second death related to a measles outbreak that has hit Texas and surrounding states. This outbreak has seen at least 569 confirmed cases as of Friday, according to state health reports.

The girl’s death, reported by CNN, comes as health officials conduct an investigation into the cause. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that this incident follows the death of another child, an unvaccinated school-age girl, in February, making these the first U.S. measles-related fatalities in a decade.

According to Texas health data, the outbreak has mainly impacted individuals under the age of 18, raising concerns among health experts about the potential for increased hospitalizations among younger children. Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatric emergency physician at PM Pediatrics, emphasized the danger of the outbreak, stating, “The more children who get the disease means that there’s an increased chance that there will be more children getting sicker with complications from measles.”

The measles outbreak, which originated in January, is not isolated to Texas; it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, and possibly Kansas. Texas currently has the highest number of outbreak-associated cases at 481, with New Mexico reporting 54 and Oklahoma reporting 10 confirmed cases as of last week. Kansas has 24 potential cases that health officials believe are linked to the outbreak.

“Experts suggest the reported numbers may be significantly lower than the actual cases, as many infections go unreported,” they noted. With the outbreak gaining traction, health officials have issued warnings urging communities to vaccinate their children against measles, which is highly contagious.

So far this year, the CDC reported 628 cases of measles across at least 21 states and Washington, D.C. Health officials in Texas revealed that at least 56 individuals have been hospitalized with measles since the outbreak began.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite that on average, one to three out of every 1,000 children who contract measles die from complications, including pneumonia and neurological issues. The outbreak has also been exacerbated by low vaccination rates; in Gaines County, Texas, where the outbreak originated, only approximately 82% of kindergarten students received the measles-mumps-rubella (M.M.R.) vaccine in 2023.

“Parents can apply for exemptions to vaccination for reasons of conscience, contributing to the high exemption rates in the area,” stated Katherine Wells, Lubbock’s public health director. Amid increased scrutiny of the health department’s responses, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been criticized for downplaying the outbreak’s severity. He is also expected to attend the child’s funeral scheduled for Sunday, following this tragic development.