An unvaccinated school-aged child became the first casualty of the measles outbreak in West Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services
The child was hospitalized in the northwestern city of Lubbock last week and tested positive for measles, the department said.
So far, 124 cases of measles have been confirmed associated with the outbreak in rural Texas. Of those 124 cases, 62 are children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 and 39 cases are reported in children younger than 4.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, and 18 people have been hospitalized so far, the state department of health said.
However, Dr. Lara Johnson, a pediatrician and the chief medical officer at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, told NBC News that number is not up to date.
Johnson said that her team has cared for “around 20” children with measles so far, none of whom are vaccinated against the disease.
At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent antivaxxer, appeared to downplay the measles outbreak in Texas telling reporters “we have measles outbreaks every year.”
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to get the highly effective measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Measles was considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 because of widespread use of the MMR vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective.
This is the first measles death to be reported in the U.S. since 2015.
