A school-aged child has died from complications of measles in Texas, marking the second death in this year's outbreak, which has sickened 481 people and hospitalized 56 since January. The unidentified victim who died of lung failure was not vaccinated and did not have any previous health conditions, health officials revealed.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses that can cause serious complications and turn life-threatening in unvaccinated people, particularly young children.
"The school-aged child who tested positive for measles was hospitalized in Lubbock and passed away on Thursday from what the child's doctors described as measles pulmonary failure. The child was not vaccinated and had no reported underlying conditions," Texas Health and Human Services said in a news release Sunday.
In the wake of the tragic death, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Texas' South Plains region Sunday, the epicenter of the state's measles outbreak. "My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief," he said in a post on X.
Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine advocate who has long called vaccination a "personal choice," has faced sharp criticism for his stance.
He has previously promoted the use of vitamin A and good nutrition as part of measles treatment, an approach that was widely challenged by several health experts, who warn that while nutrition can support recovery, it should never replace vaccination. They also caution that excessive use of vitamin A can lead to liver toxicity.
But on Sunday, in a surprising shift, Kennedy Jr. posted on X: "The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine."
According to Texas health officials, receiving two doses of the MMR vaccine can prevent more than 97 percent of measles infections. While a small number of vaccinated individuals may still develop measles, their symptoms are typically milder, and they are less likely to spread the disease to others.
About one in five children infected during an outbreak ends up in the hospital, and one in 20 will develop pneumonia. In rare cases, measles can cause brain swelling or even death. The virus also poses serious risks during pregnancy, including premature birth and low birth weight.
