Washington: A measles outbreak has killed a second child within the southwestern United States, authorities mentioned Sunday, with almost 650 folks now contaminated because the extremely contagious illness spreads.
“We’re deeply saddened to report {that a} faculty-aged child who was just lately identified with measles has handed away,” Aaron Davis, vp of UMC Well being System, a medical middle in Texas, informed AFP.
The child had been receiving therapy for “issues of measles” in hospital, he mentioned, including they had been “not vaccinated in opposition to measles and had no recognized underlying well being situations.”
Because the US grapples with its worst measles outbreak in years, President Donald Trump’s well being secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has alarmed well being consultants along with his previous rhetoric downplaying the significance of vaccines.
Kennedy, nonetheless, posted on X Sunday that “the simplest approach to forestall the unfold of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
He added that his Well being and Human Companies (HHS) division and the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) had been supporting distribution of the photographs in Texas.
Kennedy, who mentioned he had traveled to Texas to consolation the child’s household, additionally tallied “642 confirmed instances of measles throughout 22 states, 499 of these in Texas” as of Sunday.
Questioned by journalists aboard Air Power One, Trump appeared to downplay the outbreak as “to date a reasonably small quantity of folks relative to what we’re speaking about.”
However he added that if it “progresses, we’ll should take motion very strongly,” with out giving additional particulars.
– ‘Significance of vaccination’ –
The CDC has recorded instances stretching from Alaska to Florida, in addition to in New York Metropolis.
Texas had reported its first measles demise, additionally of a child, in late February — marking the primary US fatality from the illness in practically a decade.
The demise of a New Mexico grownup final month was additionally categorized by the CDC as a measles-associated fatality.
The overwhelming majority of measles instances tallied by the CDC — 97 p.c — are sufferers not vaccinated in opposition to the measles, it mentioned on April 3.
Some 196 of them had been underneath 5 years outdated, 240 had been aged 5-19, and an extra 159 had been aged 20 years or older, with just a few others of unknown age, the well being company mentioned.
The CDC, which defines an “outbreak” as three or extra associated instances, has recorded six outbreaks to date in 2025. Some 93 p.c of the confirmed instances are associated to these outbreaks.
“For comparability, 16 outbreaks had been reported throughout 2024 and 69 p.c of instances (198 of 285) had been outbreak-related,” it mentioned on its web site.
“This unlucky occasion underscores the significance of vaccination,” Davis, of UMC Well being System in Texas, mentioned in an electronic mail concerning the most recent demise.
“We encourage all people to remain present with their vaccinations to guard themselves and the broader group.”
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