Thu Feb 27 04:05:42 UTC 2025: **Texas Measles Outbreak Claims First US Child Death in a Decade**
Lubbock, TX – A school-aged child in Texas has died from measles, marking the first measles-related death in the United States in ten years. The Texas Department of Health announced the fatality Wednesday, attributing it to an ongoing measles outbreak concentrated among unvaccinated members of a Mennonite community. The outbreak has already seen over 130 cases in Texas and neighboring New Mexico.
The death comes amidst a rise in measles cases nationally and a broader debate surrounding vaccination rates. While the number of cases plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, recent years have seen a resurgence, with 285 cases reported in 2024, compared to 59 in 2023. This increase is linked to growing anti-vaccine sentiment.
Newly appointed US health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, downplayed the outbreak during a cabinet meeting, stating that measles outbreaks are an annual occurrence. However, health officials emphasize the severity of the disease, particularly for unvaccinated individuals, with the CDC noting that one in five unvaccinated people who contract measles require hospitalization. The WHO declared measles eliminated from the US in 2000, a status now threatened by the current outbreak. The child’s death serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of vaccine hesitancy and the importance of vaccination in preventing potentially fatal illnesses.
First Piper 