First measles death reported in Texas as Kennedy downplays the outbreak

A child has died of measles in Texas, the first death in an outbreak that's infected at least 124 people. HHS secretary RFK Jr. has downplayed the outbreak.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday appeared to downplay the seriousness of the West Texas measles outbreak that has killed a school-age child.

The child’s death, the first from the disease in a decade in the United States, was confirmed by Katherine Wells, director of public health at the health department in Lubbock, Texas. The child had not been vaccinated against the measles.

The outbreak has so far infected at least 124 people — mostly children — in rural West Texas.

Measles testing offered at Memorial Hospital in Seminole, Texas on Feb. 13, 2025.Erika Edwards / NBC News“We are following the measles epidemic every day,” Kennedy said during a meeting with President Donald Trump’s cabinet at the White House. “Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year. In this country last year there were 16. So, it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”

Kennedy also said that two people had died in the outbreak and that the people hospitalized were done so “mainly for quarantine.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/person-dies-measles-west-texas-outbreak-rcna193812

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