Second unvaccinated child dies from measles in West Texas outbreak

A second unvaccinated child has died from measles complications in the West Texas outbreak, Lubbock hospital officials confirmed.
The outbreak, which began in January, has resulted in nearly 500 confirmed cases across the state, primarily in the South Plains and Panhandle regions, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Of those people, 98% have been unvaccinated.
The school-aged child was hospitalized in the University Medical System in Lubbock and received treatment for complications from measles, said Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for the health system. Davis said the child was unvaccinated and had no underlying health conditions.
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“On behalf of UMC Health System, we extend our thoughts and prayers to the family and loved ones of this child, during this very difficult time,” the system’s CEO Mark Funderburk said in the statement.
The Texas health department also confirmed the death and said the child died Thursday from “measles pulmonary failure.”
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The first death from the outbreak was an unvaccinated school-age child who died in late February.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas Sunday to spend time with the families of the children who have died from measles, according to a post on X. He identified the two children as 6- and 8-year-old girls.
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Kennedy said in his post that he traveled to Texas to learn more about how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can assist with controlling the measles outbreak and endorsed vaccination as the most effective way to prevent measles.
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Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said in his immediate response to the first measles death in February that such outbreaks are commonplace.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that spreads mostly among unvaccinated people. The two-dose measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles infection and typically offers lifelong protection.
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Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor in pediatrics and molecular virology & microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, said both deaths from the outbreak were unnecessary.
Hotez said the typical fatality rate of measles is 1 to 3 deaths per every 1,000 cases, making it likely this epidemic is significantly larger than the confirmed cases that have been reported.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s closer to 1,000 [cases],” he said.
Hotez said the rising number of reported cases shows the outbreak is still raging. He said this will probably be one of the largest measles epidemics since the disease was declared eliminated in the United States.
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That milestone came in 2000 after widespread vaccination. There have been outbreaks across the country since in communities with low vaccination rates.
Hotez said the key to slowing this outbreak is convincing parents to get their children vaccinated, not just to prevent death and hospitalization but also other side effects of measles. Those include long-term neurologic deficits, deafness, hearing and vision loss, and the ability of the disease to wipe out “immunological memory” and make a person susceptible to other illnesses.
State and local health officials have worked to increase vaccine access in West Texas, Hotez said, but overcoming resistance from parents has been difficult in the face of significant misinformation.
“At this point, any parent in the region who wants to vaccinate their kids, I think, has a lot of opportunity,” he said. “I don’t think it’s lack of access that is the problem.”
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Childhood vaccination rates dipped during the pandemic, causing concern among public health experts. The Texas Legislature is poised to consider a host of vaccine bills this session, most of which would roll back existing vaccine policy.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not immediately return an email and phone call seeking comment.
Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, reinforced Hotez’s point that the second measles death means the outbreak is likely larger than reported.
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While a confirmed case of measles hasn’t reached Dallas County, Huang said his department is working to identify vulnerable groups that could become infection hot spots. He added that officials know from state health department data that some private religious schools in Dallas-Fort Worth have low vaccination rates.
Huang said his agency reached out to the leadership of day cares and public and private schools across the region with resources and offered to set up vaccination clinics. His agency was able to host some clinics but had to cancel others due to a loss of federal funding.
Huang said the U.S. has become “a victim of our own success.” After successful vaccination campaigns that led to the elimination of the disease, many parents are less familiar with its harmful effects, he said.
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“It’s exactly because [the vaccine] works so well that it’s important to keep getting it,” he said.
The vaccine is recommended for nearly everyone, beginning with babies at about 12 months of age. The vaccine is not recommended for people who are pregnant or immunocompromised.
Staff writer Emily Brindley and Reuters contributed to this report.