Unvaccinated Texas Child Dies In Measles Outbreak, 1st US Fatality In Years

An unvaccinated child in Texas has died from measles, authorities said Wednesday, marking the first US fatality from the highly contagious virus in nearly a decade and sparking renewed fears of its resurgence.

The death comes amid declining immunization rates nationwide and as Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has long spread falsehoods around the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, begins his tenure as US health secretary.

"The school-aged child who was not vaccinated was hospitalized in Lubbock last week and tested positive for measles," the state health department said in a news release.

A statement from Lubbock city confirmed that the child passed away "within the last 24 hours."

Addressing reporters during a meeting of President Donald Trump's cabinet, Kennedy said: "There are two people who have died," but provided no further details. He also downplayed the situation, stating, "It's not unusual. You have measles outbreaks every year."

Since the start of the year, more than 130 measles cases have been reported in west Texas and neighboring New Mexico, the vast majority in unvaccinated children.

Eighteen have been hospitalized in Texas, and health officials warn the outbreak is likely to grow.

"While multiple measles outbreaks in the United States have not resulted in a death, it was only a matter of time that one would occur," infectious disease physician Amesh Adalja of Johns Hopkins University told AFP.

"Measles still kills over 100,000 individuals every year worldwide. The death should serve as a reminder that there was a reason that the vaccine was developed and that the vaccine is a value to individuals. These deaths are almost entirely preventable."

Religious exemptions

The outbreak's epicenter is Gaines County, home to a significant Mennonite population, a Christian sect with a history of vaccine hesitancy.

Texas law allows vaccine exemptions for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs.

"In Texas, you can just, pretty much say, I object," Terri Burke of the Texas-based Immunization Partnership, which promotes childhood vaccination, told AFP.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a 95 percent vaccination rate to maintain "herd immunity."

However, coverage among kindergartners has dropped from 95.2 percent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.7 percent in 2023-2024, leaving some 280,000 children vulnerable.

The last US measles-related death was in 2015, when a woman in Washington state died from pneumonia caused by the virus. She had been vaccinated but was taking immunosuppressive medication. Before that, the previous recorded measles death was in 2003.

Airborne threat

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus spread through droplets when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. It poses a serious risk to unvaccinated individuals, including infants under 12-15 months who aren't yet eligible for vaccination, and those with weakened immune systems.

During outbreaks, about one in five infected individuals requires hospitalization, and one in 20 develops pneumonia. In rare cases, measles leads to brain swelling and can be fatal. It also increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including premature birth and low birth weight.

The US reported 285 measles cases in 2023, according to the CDC. The largest recent outbreak was in 2019, with 1,274 cases -- primarily in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey -- the highest national total in decades.

Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, it is thought that millions contracted the disease annually, and several hundred died. While measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, outbreaks persist each year.

RFK Jr has repeatedly and falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism, a claim thoroughly debunked by scientific research.

In one of his first actions in charge, the federal health department postponed a routine meeting of an independent advisory panel that makes vaccine recommendations to the CDC.

Originally set for February 26-28, the meeting was to address vaccines for meningococcal disease, influenza, and chikungunya. No new date has been announced.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)