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

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April 07, 2025
3 min read
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Another unvaccinated child has died from measles in Texas

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

Key takeaways:

  • An unvaccinated, school-aged child died from measles pulmonary failure in Texas.
  • It is the second death related to the measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico this year.

Another unvaccinated child has died from measles in Texas, according to state health officials.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported that an unvaccinated school-aged child with no underlying conditions died at a Lubbock hospital on Thursday from what their physicians said was measles pulmonary failure.

IDC0425MeaslesDeath_graphic
Data derived from New Mexico Department of Health and Texas Department of State Health Services.

It is at least the second measles-related death in the United States this year. Last month, an unvaccinated child in Texas became the first person to die of measles in the U.S. since 2015. Just over a week later, New Mexico officials said an adult tested positive for measles after their death, but that cause remains unconfirmed.

The outbreak in Texas has grown to include 481 cases, according to data reported by the DSHS on Friday. Neighboring counties in New Mexico have reported 54 cases in the outbreak. Ten cases have popped up in Oklahoma, the first of which was connected to the Texas outbreak, state health officials reported. There are 24 cases in Kansas that are genetically similar to the cases in Texas and New Mexico, although health officials are still investigating the source.

“We should expect to see the numbers rise,” Aaron E. Glatt, MD, MACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, chairman of the department of medicine and chief of the division of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Healio. “The vast majority of these patients have been unvaccinated, and that is an unfortunate group that is at the highest risk — sometimes it is by choice, but sometimes it is by the fact that they are immunocompromised and are not able to get vaccinated.”

According to the CDC, there were 607 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. this year as of April 3. Cases have been reported in 22 states, with 93% being linked to six outbreaks. According to the CDC, three-quarters of the cases have occurred in children and adolescents, and 97% occurred in people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Among all age groups, 12% were hospitalized, and 21% of children aged younger than 5 years have been hospitalized.

“It is not clear how many of these cases were directly related to each other,” Glatt said. “They are not all from one source patient that has spread across the entire country. There are probably multiple source patients. ... But that is unfortunately a concern when you have lower vaccination rates than are ideal.”

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., traveled to Texas over the weekend to attend the funeral for the child who died and visit the family of the child who died in February. In a post on X, he said he was also there to “support Texas health officials and to learn how our HHS agencies can better partner with them to control the measles outbreak.” Additionally, he announced that he redeployed CDC teams to Texas at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott.

Kennedy, who has a long history of supporting anti-science views on the safety of vaccines, added that vaccination is “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.” He wrote the same thing in an op-ed published on the Fox News website in February but has stopped short of recommending that everyone who is able get vaccinated. Kennedy has called vaccination “a personal choice.”

Also on X, Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, a Republican from Louisiana, posted a link to a story about the second death and said, “Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles. Top health officials should say so unequivocally before another child dies.”

Cassidy, who was the deciding vote on the Finance Committee that sent Kennedy’s nomination to the full Senate, quoted the HHS secretary’s post on X, calling it an “important message.”

“Completely agree and encourage all parents to make sure their children are vaccinated against measles,” Cassidy wrote.

References:


Sources/Disclosures

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Source:

Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas announces second death in measles outbreak. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/texas-announces-second-death-measles-outbreak. Published April 6, 2025. Accessed April 6, 2025.

Disclosures: Glatt reports no relevant financial disclosures.

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