An unvaccinated child hospitalized with measles in West Texas has died from the illness, marking the first death of the highly contagious disease since 2015. So far, 124 people have contracted measles. RFK Jr. doesn’t seem concerned about the outbreak, but that’s unsurprising.
USA Today reports:
The Gaines County resident died in Lubbock, Zach Holbrooks, public health director and executive director of the South Plains Public Health District, said in an email. In a statement, Lubbock city and Texas health officials confirmed the hospitalized patient was an unvaccinated school-aged child who died in the last 24 hours.
So far, 124 people are known to have been infected, mostly among people who weren’t vaccinated or had no known vaccination status, state data showed. There have been 18 people hospitalized.
The outbreak is believed to have first begun in rural West Texas, in an under-vaccinated Mennonite community in Gaines County, where 80 cases have been identified so far. It has since stretched out across multiple counties and across state lines to New Mexico.
The Measles vaccine is required to go to school in Texas. We never seemed to have this problem before — until Donald got into power. Getting vaccinated as a child to prevent spreading disease was simply a regular thing. This school-aged child should still be alive.
Donald doesn’t seem concerned:
Q: A young child just died of measles in Texas. Do you have a comment?
RFK Jr.: It’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks all the time
(This is the first Measles death in the US in 10 years) pic.twitter.com/af5hrqpjrG
— FactPost (@factpostnews) February 26, 2025
First death in the ongoing measles outbreak, per the Texas health department. Unvaccinated school-aged child. pic.twitter.com/yDuqMdO3Vb
— Dylan Scott (@dylanlscott) February 26, 2025
