Unvaccinated Texas child dies in first Measles death in a decade
The school-aged child was not vaccinated against measles. (Stock Image/Getty)
An unvaccinated child in Texas, USA, has died after testing positive for Measles. Their death marks the first US measles death since 2015.
Lubbock city spokesperson Lauren Adams said on Wednesday (26 February) that the school-aged child was not vaccinated against the viral infection and was hospitalised in Lubbock, Texas.
Officials did not provide further details about the child’s age, medical history or school in the press conference, hosted by Covenant Health and the City of Lubbock Public Health.
The child’s death comes after an outbreak of Measles in West Texas. The confirmed number of measles cases was 124 on Tuesday (25 February), per the Texas Department of State Health Services. It is an increase of 34 cases since last week, with most cases being seen in children aged five to 17.
All of those hospitalised in the outbreak were unvaccinated, with eighteen people hospitalised so far.
During President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he directed a question about the Texas outbreak to the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He said, “We are following the measles epidemic every day.”
He incorrectly stated that there were two measles deaths, but officials confirmed that there was one death.
In 2015, a woman in the state of Washington died of the virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services explained that the virus “is a highly contagious respiratory illness, which can cause life-threatening illness to anyone who is not protected against the virus”.
“During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia. Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight,” it continued.
“Measles can be transmitted by direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. People who are infected will begin to have symptoms within a week or two after being exposed. Early symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
“A few days later, the telltale rash breaks out as flat, red spots on the face and then spreads down the neck and trunk to the rest of the body. A person is contagious about four days before the rash appears to four days after. People who could have measles should stay home during that period.”
Those who think they have measles or may have been exposed to the virus should isolate and call their GP before getting tested.
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