Texas measles cases rise; two children dead

“My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief,” Kennedy said on X Sunday.

The child died at a local hospital and was unvaccinated, with no underlying health issues, according to UMC Health System’s Aaron Davis.

A funeral was held Sunday, and HHS is now working with Texas health officials to fight the outbreak. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention teams have also been sent to help, Kennedy said.

As of Friday, Texas had 481 measles-related cases. Most were in unvaccinated people, mainly children and teens. West Texas, especially Gaines County, was hit hardest.

UMC Health in Lubbock County is offering drive-up measles screenings.

Other states are also affected: New Mexico has 54 cases, Oklahoma has 10, and Kansas has 24 possibly linked to the outbreak. Experts say many cases likely go unreported.

Doctors warn of rising hospitalizations in children. “The more children who get the disease means that there’s an increased chance that there will be more children getting sicker with complications from measles,” said Dr. Christina Johns.

Senator Bill Cassidy called on health leaders to act: “Everyone should be vaccinated! There is no treatment for measles. No benefit to getting measles. Top health officials should say so unequivocally b/4 another child dies,” he wrote on X.

Earlier, it was reported that the measles outbreak in Texas has resulted in two deaths, marking the first measles-related fatalities in the U.S. in nearly a decade.