First measles death in the US in a decade

A child in West Texas has died of measles, state health officials said on Wednesday, the first reported US death from the highly contagious disease in a decade, as a Texas outbreak has grown from a handful of cases to more than 130 across two states. The child, who was not vaccinated against the disease, died overnight in a children's hospital, the Texas health department said in a statement.

"We have had so many kids coming in and then obviously we were not prepared, probably, so early in what we are seeing to have a death," said Amy Thompson, CEO of Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock, where the child died in what officials said was the fourth week of the measles outbreak.

During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a vaccine critic who was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services earlier this month, said two people had died in the Texas outbreak. His Department of Health and Human Services later corrected Kennedy, confirming one death.

At least 124 people were known to be infected in West Texas since early February, all but five of them unvaccinated and most of them children, Texas health officials said.

An additional nine cases were announced on Tuesday in eastern New Mexico, near the Texas state line where the outbreak has spread to about 10 counties, Texas health officials said.

Patients have displayed symptoms such as high fever, red watery eyes, nasal congestion, cough and a rash that begins on the face, said Lara Johnson, chief medical officer at the Lubbock hospital. Children have been treated with supplemental oxygen and high-flow oxygen, medication for high fever and IV fluids, she said.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning there was no continuous transmission of the disease for a year.

In recent years, federal health officials have attributed some outbreaks to parents refusing to vaccinate their children, Reuters previously reported.

In 2024, there were 285 cases of the disease in the US from 16 outbreaks, up from 59 cases from four outbreaks in 2023.

Texas health officials announced on Monday that more people were likely exposed to the virus after a contagious Gaines County resident travelled to several locations in and around San Antonio, nearly 400 miles (644 km) away.

The city of Lubbock was promoting the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine for unvaccinated children on its website and in free clinics, which started on Tuesday.