- US reports first measles death in a decade as outbreak spreads in Texas.
- Most cases linked to unvaccinated individuals in a Mennonite Christian community.
- Health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. downplays outbreak despite rising infections.
The United States has recorded its first measles-related death in ten years after an unvaccinated child in Texas succumbed to the highly contagious disease.
The school-aged child, who had been hospitalised in Lubbock, northwest Texas, passed away overnight, the state’s health department announced on Wednesday.
The tragic case comes as immunisation rates in the US continue to decline and amid controversy over the appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the country’s top health official.
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More than 130 measles cases have been reported this year across Texas and neighbouring New Mexico, with nearly all occurring in unvaccinated individuals. Health officials say most cases are concentrated in a Mennonite Christian community known for its vaccine hesitancy.
Addressing the situation during US President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Kennedy—who has previously promoted debunked claims linking vaccines to autism—minimised concerns over the outbreak.
“Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country,” Kennedy told reporters. “Last year, there were 16. So, it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”
The US has seen a resurgence of measles cases in recent years. In 2019, infections peaked at nearly 1,300, the highest level in nearly two decades, before declining during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, health officials reported 285 cases, up sharply from 59 in 2023 and 121 in 2022.
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Measles was declared eliminated in the US by the World Health Organisation in 2000, meaning the virus was no longer circulating persistently. However, that status has come under threat in recent years due to growing vaccine hesitancy.
The last reported measles-related death in the US occurred in 2015, following 12 years without a fatality.
Health experts warn that measles poses serious risks to unvaccinated individuals, particularly infants too young to receive the vaccine. According to the CDC, one in five unvaccinated measles patients in the US require hospitalisation, and as many as one in 20 children with measles develop pneumonia.
