A Second child has died from measles as an outbreak of the highly contagious virus continues to grow in western Texas.
The school-aged child was not vaccinated, had no underlying health conditions and was in hospital suffering complications from measles, Aaron Davis, the vice-president of UMC Health System, told the BBC.
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has faced a backlash over his handling of the outbreak, visited Texas on Sunday in the wake of the death, which is the third overall in recent weeks.
The southern US state has reported more than 480 cases of measles so far this year as of Friday, a jump from 420 earlier in the week. The outbreak has extended to neighbouring states.
Across the whole of the US, more than 600 cases of measles have been recorded so far this year, more than double the 285 cases that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded last year.
In 2019, there were a total of 1,274 measles cases recorded across the US, but prior to that there had not been a larger outbreak than this year’s since the early 1990s, according to the CDC.
Many of this year’s cases – nearly all in unvaccinated people – are related to the outbreak that began in western Texas.
“This unfortunate event underscores the importance of vaccination,” Mr Davis said in a statement. “Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications, particularly for those who are unvaccinated.”
The child – an eight-year-old girl – died early on Thursday.
The BBC contacted the state health department and the US Department of Health and Human Services for comment. Neither agency listed the death in their case counts on Friday.
In a statement posted on social media, Kennedy confirmed the girl’s death. —BBC
