The measles virus outbreak has continued in various states across the United States of America. The outbreak began in January in Texas and has persisted since then. In short, measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Some symptoms of the disease include inflamed eyes, fever, runny nose, sore throat, and dry cough. Anyone who is not protected from measles is at risk, and the virus is very contagious. The disease can cause severe health complications, and children younger than five years old are very vulnerable to the virus.Â
Second Texas Child Dies From Measles
A second unvaccinated school-aged child unfortunately passed away from a measles-related illness in West Texas. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the passing late Saturday night. The young school-aged girl was diagnosed with the disease and passed away at the University Medical Center Children’s Hospital in Lubbock. According to an official statement from the hospital, “The child was receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized.”
The hospital added, “It is important to note that the child was not vaccinated against measles and had no underlying health conditions. This unfortunate event underscores the importance of vaccination.” Amid the outbreak, the disease has infected nearly 500 citizens alone in the state of Texas since January. Texas has since suffered the worst outbreak of measles in 30 years. The outbreak comes amid the Trump administration’s massive layoffs of employees from the U.S. Health Agencies.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was meeting with families at Gaines County, the outbreak’s epicenter, on X Sunday. Kennedy identified the child as an eight-year-old, Daisy Hildebrand. He also added that he spoke to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to offer support for the community and that CDC teams have been sent back to Texas. Kennedy Jr. also got to know the family of the first child who died in Texas from the outbreak, Kayley Fehir.
Fheir died in February from the disease, and she was only six years old. In his post, Kennedy also said, “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.” In March, an unvaccinated man passed away in New Mexico after contracting the virus. However, his death is still under investigation. The CDC’s website says, “The best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Doctors recommend two doses of the vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella.” Hildebrand died from the disease early on Thursday.
Final Thoughts
People who are infected with the virus usually experience symptoms about a week or two after contracting the virus. Watery eyes, runny nose, and high fever are the early symptoms. A rash breaks out a few days later on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body. According to state health officials, those infected are contagious about four days before the rash appears and up to four days after.
States with confirmed cases include Texas, Rhode Island, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont, Michigan, and Washington. So far, only two deaths have been reported in the state of Texas.
