Unvaccinated adult tests positive for measles after dying in New Mexico
Key takeaways:
- It is the second death of a person with measles in 2 weeks.
- The outbreak in New Mexico is “undoubtedly related” to the outbreak across the border in Texas.
An adult in New Mexico tested positive for measles after dying, state health officials announced Thursday amid a growing outbreak of the highly contagious disease centered in neighboring Texas.
The Lea County resident was not vaccinated against measles, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. The cause of death is still being investigated, the department said in a press release.
The news came a little more than 1 week after Texas officials announced that an unvaccinated child died from measles — the first measles death in the United States in 10 years.
Both deaths occurred in a region affected by a measles outbreak that has surpassed 220 cases in New Mexico and Texas. Although there is no direct link between the cases in Lea County and the cases in Texas, David Morgan, public information officer for the New Mexico Department of Health, told Healio the outbreaks are “undoubtedly related,” as Lea County shares a border with the affected counties in Texas.
As of March 7, there have been 198 reported cases in western Texas and 30 cases in Lea County. Cases are largely occurring among people who are not vaccinated against measles or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to officials in both states.
The New Mexico Department of Health said it was expecting additional cases given how contagious measles it.
In response to the outbreak, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. authored a “call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health” and said the MMR vaccine is “crucial” to not getting measles but stopped short of recommending that everyone get vaccinated.
“Parents play a pivotal role in safeguarding their children’s health. All parents should consult with their health care providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy wrote in an op-ed on the Fox News website. “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
Kennedy also said the CDC updated its recommendations to support vitamin A treatments for patients with measles.
References:
- CDC statement on measles outbreak. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2025/2025-cdc-statement-on-measles-outbreak.html. Published Feb. 27, 2025. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- Lea County resident tests positive for measles after death. https://www.nmhealth.org/news/alert/2025/3/?view=2188. Published March 6, 2025. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- Measles outbreak is a call to action for all of us. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-measles-outbreak-call-action-all-us. Published March 2, 2025. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- New Mexico Health. 2025 measles outbreak guidance. https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/ideb/mog/. Updated March 7, 2025. Accessed March 7, 2025.
- Texas Department of State health Services. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025. Updated March 7, 2025. Accessed March 7, 2025.