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BySara Kellner
Fact checked byCarol L. DiBerardino, MLA, ELS

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February 26, 2025
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Unvaccinated child dies in Texas measles outbreak, officials say

BySara Kellner
Fact checked byCarol L. DiBerardino, MLA, ELS

Key takeaways:

  • Texas Department of State Health Services announced the death of an unvaccinated school-aged child.
  • The DSHS has reported 124 total measles cases spanning nine counties in west Texas.

An unvaccinated child has died from measles in an outbreak in Texas that has grown to include more than 120 cases, state health officials announced Wednesday — the first measles death in the United States in 10 years.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said the unvaccinated school-aged child’s death was related to a measles outbreak in the western part of the state that began in late January and now includes 124 cases in nine counties as of Tuesday — most of them unvaccinated.

IDC0225MeaslesOutbreak_Graphic

“As a pediatrician, I am heartbroken to learn that a child has died from measles,” Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP, president of the AAP, wrote in a statement Wednesday. “One death from a preventable disease is one too many.”

Eighty cases have been reported in Gaines County, which has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in Texas — 17.62% of kindergarteners received exemptions during the 2023-2024 school year. Other counties with measles cases include Dallam, Dawson, Ector, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Terry and Yoakum counties.

According to the DSHS, 18 people have been hospitalized in the outbreak, and only five of the 124 cases had been vaccinated against measles.

Children comprise the majority of cases — 39 are aged 0 to 4 years, and 62 are aged 5 to 17 years. Eighteen cases occurred in adults. The ages of five patients were not reported.

The DSHS issued an alert earlier this week with a list of locations that a patient visited between Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 while contagious, including shops, restaurants and two university campuses in New Braunfels, San Antonio, San Marcos and Wall, Texas. The virus can live in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person passes through. According to the alert, measles symptoms can begin 7 to 21 days after exposure, and health care providers in the area should watch out for potential cases related to the outbreak.

There also have been nine cases reported in Lea County, New Mexico, which borders Gaines County, although a health alert from the New Mexico Department of Health stated that there is no known link to the Texas cases. The local public health office is offering free MMR vaccines this week for people who have not been vaccinated.

The AAP and CDC recommend administering MMR vaccines to children at age 12 to 15 months and again between ages 4 and 6 years, although children can receive their second dose as early as 28 days after the first dose.

“The reason many parents in the U.S. have not had to worry about measles in decades is because of widespread immunization with this safe and effective vaccine,” Kressly wrote. “However, when immunization rates drop in a community, the disease can spread, putting our most vulnerable — especially young children — at risk.

The last measles death in the United States was in 2015, according to the CDC. Before the vaccine became available in 1963, 400 to 500 people died of measles each year, the agency noted.

Measles is on the rise in the United States. According to the CDC, 285 cases were reported in 33 states in 2024 — of which 40% resulted in hospitalization. In 2023, there were 59 cases.

References:


Sources/Disclosures

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Source:

Press Release


Disclosures: Kressly's relevant financial disclosures could not be determined at the time of publication.

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