A second school-aged child has died from measles complications in West Texas, according to officials at UMC Health System in Lubbock.
The child, who had not been vaccinated, was hospitalized and receiving treatment when they died, said hospital spokesperson Aaron Davis on Sunday. The hospital did not disclose the exact date of the child’s death.
This marks the second pediatric measles death in Lubbock this year, and the third overall in the broader region. The first occurred in February, and a separate adult case in New Mexico resulted in a measles-related death in early March. All three victims were unvaccinated.
The death has yet to appear in official measles case reports released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Texas State Department of State Health Services. Spokespersons for both agencies declined to comment on Sunday.
Now more than two months into the outbreak, health officials believe the West Texas outbreak has spread into neighboring New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and may be linked to additional cases in Mexico, according to the World Health Organization.
The outbreak has sickened nearly 570 people, with 81 new cases and 16 additional hospitalizations reported in Texas just last week.
In response, a CDC team has been deployed to Texas to assist with managing the crisis.
The U.S. has already recorded more than twice the number of measles cases reported in all of 2024, signaling a dramatic resurgence of a disease once considered eliminated from the country in 2000.
The current outbreak, driven largely by low vaccination rates, has sparked fears that the U.S. could lose its measles elimination status.
The vast majority of reported cases involve unvaccinated children under the age of 17, particularly in communities with low immunization coverage.
Despite the growing crisis, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has given a endorsement of measles vaccination.
Kennedy is expected to launch a “Make America Healthy Again” tour across the southwestern U.S. this week.
Dr. Peter Marks, former head of vaccines at the Food and Drug Administration, blamed Kennedy’s rhetoric for contributing to the outbreak and the recent deaths. “This is the epitome of a needless death,” Marks told the Associated Press. “These kids should be vaccinated — that’s how we prevent measles deaths.”
Marks also said he recently warned U.S. senators that more fatalities would follow if stronger action wasn’t taken. Kennedy has been called to testify before the Senate health committee later this week.
Experts say the outbreak may continue for several more months, possibly into next year. Measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus, can linger in the air for up to two hours.
The CDC recommends the first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine for children at 12 to 15 months, with a second dose between ages 4 and 6. The two-dose vaccine is 97% effective.