Health and Me

Ishita Roy

Measles Outbreak: US Reports Second Death From The Disease

second measles death in the US

A second person has died due to the <span>measles</span> outbreak in the American southwest in New Mexico. The person was unvaccinated, confirmed the officials. This comes after the news of the death of an unvaccinated child in nearby Texas, which was the first US death from the disease since 2015.

Measles was initially considered "eliminated" in the US in 2000, however is spreading quickly in Texas, with the state identifying 198 cases as of Friday. Nearly 30 more since the state's last report on Tuesday. It is the same span the number of cases are increasing in New Mexico, as there too, the cases have tripled to 30. 

The disease has not been contained, in fact has been reported across other states, including Canada. 

The person who died in New Mexico was a resident of Lea County, which is around 50 miles from Gaines County of Texas, where the outbreak is centered. 1 in every 5 measles case requires hospitalization and about 3 in every 1,000 cases result in death, confirmed the New Mexico health department. 

With the recent developments in the health sector and vaccines being a choice, rather than compulsory has raised concerned to many. As the outbreak killed a healthy unvaccinated six year old in Texas. The last death from this was in 2015, which was the first one to be attributed to measles since 2003. 

The situation looks concerning as it has only been 3 months into 2025 and the total number of reported infections in the US has already climbed 220, whereas in 2024, the total number of cases were 285, as per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). 

The CDC says that it has been monitoring the current outbreak and the cause of concern indeed is the low vaccination rates in Texas. While the outbreak is mostly occurring in Texas and New Mexico, measles has also recently been found in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington according to the CDC.

Canada has also seen a rise in the infections and has recorded more cases in the first two months of this year than all in 2024. The country's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said that measles has been found in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which is attributed to travellers who were exposed in other countries. As pf Thursday, there were 227 measles cases reported this year in Canada, most of whom were ill but not vaccinated as per the country's public health agency. 

The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to fight off the virus, which can also lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. These shots are 97% effective and also immune people against other mumps and rubella. The <span>US Health</span> and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is known for his controversial remarks on vaccine in an editorial for Fox News Op-Ed showed concerns about the growing cases and wrote: "Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinate due to medical reasons."

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A second person has died due to the measles outbreak in the American southwest in New Mexico. The person was unvaccinated, confirmed the officials. This comes after the news of the death of an unvaccinated child in nearby Texas, which was the first US death from the disease since 2015.Measles was initially considered "eliminated" in the US in 2000, however is spreading quickly in Texas, with the state identifying 198 cases as of Friday. Nearly 30 more since the state's last report on Tuesday. It is the same span the number of cases are increasing in New Mexico, as there too, the cases have tripled to 30. The disease has not been contained, in fact has been reported across other states, including Canada. How Deadly Is Measles?The person who died in New Mexico was a resident of Lea County, which is around 50 miles from Gaines County of Texas, where the outbreak is centered. 1 in every 5 measles case requires hospitalization and about 3 in every 1,000 cases result in death, confirmed the New Mexico health department. With the recent developments in the health sector and vaccines being a choice, rather than compulsory has raised concerned to many. As the outbreak killed a healthy unvaccinated six year old in Texas. The last death from this was in 2015, which was the first one to be attributed to measles since 2003. The situation looks concerning as it has only been 3 months into 2025 and the total number of reported infections in the US has already climbed 220, whereas in 2024, the total number of cases were 285, as per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC says that it has been monitoring the current outbreak and the cause of concern indeed is the low vaccination rates in Texas. While the outbreak is mostly occurring in Texas and New Mexico, measles has also recently been found in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington according to the CDC.CanadaCanada has also seen a rise in the infections and has recorded more cases in the first two months of this year than all in 2024. The country's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said that measles has been found in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which is attributed to travellers who were exposed in other countries. As pf Thursday, there were 227 measles cases reported this year in Canada, most of whom were ill but not vaccinated as per the country's public health agency. The MMR vaccine is the most effective way to fight off the virus, which can also lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. These shots are 97% effective and also immune people against other mumps and rubella. The US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is known for his controversial remarks on vaccine in an editorial for Fox News Op-Ed showed concerns about the growing cases and wrote: "Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinate due to medical reasons." 