President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has said he visited Texas after it was revealed a second child had died of measles in the state.
Kennedy reportedly attended the child's funeral on Sunday.
The eight-year-old girl — identified by Kennedy as Daisy Hildebrand — died early on Thursday morning from "measles pulmonary failure" while she was being treated at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas.
Her death is the second tied to a measles outbreak in West Texas and the second tied to the disease in the U.S. in a decade. Dozens of residents in the region — including in bordering states — have been infected.
Kennedy wrote on X: “My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief.”
Despite his past as a vocal vaccine skeptic, Kennedy acknowledged that the MMR vaccine was the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the M.M.R. vaccine,“ he wrote. “I’ve spoken to Governor Abbott, and I’ve offered HHS’ continued support. At his request, we have redeployed CDC teams to Texas. We will continue to follow Texas’ lead and to offer similar resources to other affected jurisdictions.”
The UMC Health System said on Sunday that the girl had not been vaccinated against the disease and had no underlying health conditions that contributed to her death.
The first death in the region was also an unvaccinated child who died in February. There may be a third death — an unvaccinated individual in New Mexico — who tested positive for measles. Health officials are still trying to confirm if measles was the individual's cause of death.
West Texas has reported 480 cases of measles, resulting in 56 hospitalizations, since the outbreak began in January. Infections have sickened 54 people in New Mexico and another 10 in Oklahoma.
Public health officials in the region are predicting that the outbreak will continue for a year, putting the area's measles elimination status — which it earned in 2000 — at risk.
Measles is extremely contagious. It can linger in the air for up to two hours after someone infected has left a room and can spread through breath, coughs, or sneezes.
In most cases, measles symptoms—like rashes, high fevers, coughs, runny noses, and red eyes—will subside in a few weeks. But in rare cases, it can cause pneumonia, which is especially dangerous to children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems.
The disease can also cause brain swelling, which can cause blindness, deafness, and intellectual disabilities.
Kennedy has faced criticism for his handling of the outbreak, especially considering the HHS boss is a vocal vaccine skeptic. He has been broadly supportive of the measles vaccine but has also emphasized alternative and untested treatments to combat the disease, like using cod liver oil.
Doctors in Texas told the Times that Kennedy's endorsement of alternative treatments has contributed to some patients waiting to seek medical care while also consuming toxic levels of vitamin A.
Experts are concerned that the Trump administration's decision to pull funding from local health departments will also increase the likelihood of large, multi-state outbreaks. In an X post on Sunday, Kennedy said he would ensure that Texas health officials are supported in their battle to contain the measles outbreak.
I came to Gaines County, Texas, today to comfort the Hildebrand family after the loss of their 8-year-old daughter Daisy. I got to know the family of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr after she passed away in February. I also developed bonds with and deep affection for other members of…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 6, 2025
On Sunday, Dr Peter Marks, who resigned from his position at the Food and Drug Administration where he oversaw the agency's vaccine program, blamed Kennedy and his staff for the child's death.
“This is the epitome of an absolute needless death,” Marks told the Associated Press on Sunday. “These kids should get vaccinated – that’s how you prevent people from dying of measles.”
He said that he warned the Senate that more measles-related deaths would occur if the Trump administration refused to take more aggressive action to curb the outbreak.
The Senate health committee has called Kennedy to testify on Thursday.
One of the members of that committee is Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor and a vaccine proponent. Though he joined his Republican colleagues in confirming Kennedy during his hearing, he has taken a stronger stance on the need for vaccinations than the HHS head.
On Sunday, Cassidy issued a statement saying that "everyone should be vaccinated."
He said there was "no benefit to getting measles" and that "top health officials should say so unequivocally [before] another child dies."
As of Friday, the U.S. has more than 600 measles cases this year, more than double the number of cases in all of 2024.
Lubbock's public health director, Katherine Wells, told NBC News that the actual number of infected individuals is likely much higher than what has been reported, as many who are infected may not be getting tested for the illness.
She said that she and other health officials are begging families to have their children vaccinated against measles.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed for vaccination, and it is 97 percent effective. The MMR vaccine is safe and has been safely administered to children for decades.
