A hospital spokesperson said on Sunday that a second school-age child died of a measles-related illness. The death of a child is due to the spread of measles outbreaks in western Texas.
Aaron Davis, a spokesman for UMC Health Systems in Lubbock, Texas, said the child was “treated for measles complications while in hospital,” and said he was not vaccinated. The hospital refused to say which day the child died.
Neither the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the Texas Department of Health Department’s Health Department have included their deaths. Measles reports It was published on Friday. A spokesperson for the state Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Gaines County on Sunday. In a post on X, he said he was there “to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of his 8-year-old daughter Daisy.”
“I’m here to help Texas health officials and learn how HHS agencies are partners to control the outbreak of measles. As of today, there are 642 measles cases in 22 states in Texas,” Kennedy said of X.
Measles death for the first time in 10 years
an A school child who did not die of measles in Lubbock in February – The first measles death in the United States in 10 years. In early March, an adult in New Mexico had not been vaccinated and an adult who didn’t seek medical care became the second measles-related death.
More than two months later, the West Texas outbreak is believed to have spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas, with nearly 570 people sick. The World Health Organization also reported incidents related to Texas, Mexico.
The number of cases in Texas rose 81 between March 28th and April 4th, with another 16 people hospitalised. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team is on the ground supporting Texas outbreak response.
The measles case has been doubled since last year.
As of the latest CDC update on Friday, April 4th, the US had confirmed at least 607 measles cases so far this year. That’s more than twice the cases we’ve seen in all 2024 cases. New Mexico And New York. The CBS News Data Team is tracking measles confirmations nationwide as the state’s health department and CDC continue to release data. This map Updated with new data on CDC on Friday.
Longtime anti-vaccine activist Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it should be encouraged while questioning the safety of vaccines. He is scheduled to launch a Make America Healthy tour in the Southwest US earlier this week.
On Sunday, Kennedy said in a post on X that “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
Measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have been safely used for over 60 years and are 97% effective against measles after two doses.
Dr. Peter Marks, former Food and Drug Administration vaccine director, said the death lies with Kennedy and his staff. After disagreement with Kennedy about vaccine safety, Mark was kicked out of the FDA.
“This is an absolutely unnecessary epitome of death,” Marks told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday. “These children should be vaccinated, and that’s how they prevent people from dying from measles.”
Marks also said he recently warned US senators that if the administration did not respond more positively to the outbreak, more deaths would occur. Kennedy was convened Thursday to testify before the Senate Health Committee.
Texas doctors warn high
The second unvaccinated child death with measles in western Texas is a doctor in northern Texas. This is highly praised by Dr. Carla Garcia Carreno, director of the Pediatric Medical Center for Infection Prevention and Control.
“Measles is a preventable disease, as we know. Unfortunately, the majority of cases we currently have are in people who are not vaccinated,” Garcia Carreno said.
Garcia Carreno said the hospital has been preparing to meet patients in North Texas since the measles outbreak began in West Texas in January.
“They need to see. It’s very important to get tested as soon as possible and try to isolate people who are suspected of having measles,” Garcia Carreno said.
Garcia Carreno said he’ll check your medical records to see if you’ve got the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. If you can’t find a history of the vaccine, you can get a blood test. Blood tests will check for measles antibodies.
“We need a population that is immune to measles,” Garcia Carreno said. “We need to protect at least 95% of our population because we are vaccinated or because we have a history of infection.”
Garcia Carreno said the vaccine is 93% effective after one dose and 97% after two doses. Young babies at 6 months old can take it early.
“Adults who have not been vaccinated can receive the vaccine at a dose that is at least 28 days apart,” Garcia Carreno said.
Approximately 20% of unvaccinated children who have received measles must be hospitalized, with 1-3 cases per 1,000 people being fatal.
“If you get measles and are not vaccinated, your immune system will be suppressed in weeks to months, seven to ten years, but more than that, it can cause very fatal brain inflammation,” Garcia Carreno said.
Experts said it’s even more important to get vaccinated before the busy summer travel season to control the virus.
CDC team will be deployed
Kennedy said on Sunday that he will deploy a CDC team to strengthen local and state capabilities for multiple Texas responses, including working with Texas-operated clinics with necessary MMR vaccines and other medications and medical supplies, working with local schools and health facilities to support contact research, and communications with faith leaders, community health supervision, and more.
The Health Secretary said at Gov. Greg Abbott’s request that the CDC team have been relocated to Texas.
Experts and local health officials expect it to happen for several more months, if not a year. In West Texas, the majority of cases are in unvaccinated people and children under the age of 17.
and Several states facing outbreaks Some people worry that among the vaccine-preventable diseases, measles may cost the situation in which the US has eliminated the disease.
Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to 2 hours. According to the CDC, nine in 10 susceptible people will ingest the virus when exposed. The first shot is recommended for children aged 12-15 months and for children aged 4-6 years for the second.
