Unvaccinated Child Dies of Measles in Texas Outbreak

A child in West Texas has died from measles, marking the first known fatality in an outbreak spreading through the region and into neighboring New Mexico, state health officials reported Wednesday.

The child, an unvaccinated school-aged student, was identified by officials in Lubbock, Texas, and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The outbreak has intensified concerns among public health experts about declining vaccination rates, particularly following the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known vaccine skeptic, as the nation’s health secretary.

During a White House cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Kennedy downplayed the significance of the outbreak, stating that federal health officials were “watching” the situation and pointing out that measles outbreaks have occurred before. “So it’s not unusual,” he said, without addressing the role of vaccination or outlining federal efforts to contain the spread.

Kennedy also claimed that there had been two measles-related deaths in Texas, while state officials confirmed only one.

In The Measles Book, published by Children’s Health Defense—the anti-vaccine nonprofit he founded—Kennedy suggested that measles outbreaks are deliberately exaggerated to create fear and push unnecessary vaccinations for profit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been three measles outbreaks in the U.S. so far in 2025, following 16 outbreaks in 2024 that resulted in 285 cases. This year’s case count is already approaching half of last year’s total.

Some health experts pushed back against minimizing the outbreak. “Every hospitalization and death is a tragedy, especially when it’s entirely preventable with vaccines,” said Dr. David Higgins, a pediatrician and preventive medicine expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. “Right now, we should be working to rebuild confidence in one of the greatest public health tools ever created.”

Other experts warned against using last year’s outbreaks as a benchmark, given that vaccination rates were already in decline. “This is not normal,” said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious-disease specialist at Duke University.

Since late January, Texas health officials have identified at least 124 measles cases, primarily among unvaccinated children and teenagers or those with unknown vaccination status. Eighteen patients have been hospitalized, making this the state’s largest measles outbreak in more than 30 years, according to Katherine Wells, Lubbock’s public health director.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can be life-threatening for those who are not vaccinated.