United States: A patient admitted to a hospital in West Texas has succumbed to measles, marking the first fatality in a measles outbreak that emerged late last month.
On Wednesday, Melissa Whitfield, a spokesperson for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, confirmed the death. However, specific details about the deceased individual’s age were not disclosed.
Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock did not immediately respond to requests for additional information or comment, according to reports by AP News.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Tuesday that the measles outbreak in the rural expanses of West Texas has expanded to 124 confirmed cases across nine counties. Additionally, nine cases have been identified in eastern New Mexico.
The outbreak is predominantly impacting the Mennonite community, a demographic residing in an area where small, isolated towns are separated by expansive oil field-laden landscapes. Despite the physical distance, the communities remain interconnected due to frequent travel between towns for employment, worship, grocery shopping, and other daily activities, according to the reports by the Associated Press.
Gaines County, bearing 80 of the cases, is notable for having one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children opting out of at least one mandatory vaccine, with nearly 14 percent of K-12 students in the 2023-24 academic year not fully vaccinated.
Data from the Texas Health Department indicates that the overwhelming majority of measles cases involve individuals under the age of 18. State health authorities have noted that this outbreak is the largest Texas has experienced in almost three decades.
Measles, a highly contagious respiratory virus, has the ability to remain viable in the air for up to two hours. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 90 percent of individuals who are not immune to the virus will contract it if exposed. While most children recover from measles, the infection poses serious risks of severe complications, including pneumonia, vision loss, encephalitis, and even death.