A second unvaccinated child dies from measles in Texas amid an outbreak

A school-aged youngster died in a Texas hospital while being treated for measles, the state's second minor death tied to the current outbreak.

The school-aged boy died at University Medical Center Children's Hospital in Lubbock after being recently diagnosed with the viral condition, according to a statement released Sunday morning.

"The child was receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized," according to the statement. "It is important to note that the child was not vaccinated against measles and had no known underlying health conditions. This terrible tragedy highlights the need of immunization."

In February, an unvaccinated school-aged kid died from measles as part of the current epidemic in Texas. A death in New Mexico is still under investigation.

According to state health department data, the outbreak has now spread to Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and potentially Kansas, with at least 569 cases reported as of Friday.

Texas recorded 481 outbreak-related cases as of Friday. Nearly all were unvaccinated, with 70% being children and teenagers. Many of these instances have broken out in West Texas, with Gaines County accounting for approximately 66% of the total.

In Lubbock County, which accounts for almost 7% of the state's verified cases, UMC Health has begun conducting drive-up measles testing at both of its 24-hour urgent care facilities.

Meanwhile, New Mexico has recorded 54 instances, and Oklahoma has reported 10 cases, eight confirmed and two probable, as of Friday. As of Wednesday, Kansas has 24 cases, which the state health officials said might be related to the epidemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 measles-infected youngsters die as a result of respiratory and neurological problems. In addition, pneumonia, the most prevalent cause of mortality from measles in young children, affects around one out of every twenty children infected. The condition can also deplete the immune system, causing a long-term consequence known as "immune amnesia."

On Sunday, US Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, urged senior health officials to confront the measles epidemic.

“Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles. Top health officials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies,” Cassidy wrote on X.

The outbreak originated in Texas in January and has since spread to at least two additional states.

The CDC reports that two doses of the MMR vaccination are safe and 97% effective in preventing illness.

The first dosage is often given between the ages of 12 and 18 months, with the second administered around the age of 5, when a kid begins kindergarten.

During an epidemic, kids as young as 6 months old might receive their first vaccine.