Texas Confirms First Death In Growing Measles Outbreak

The Washington Post (2/26, Nirappil) reports the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) confirmed Wednesday that an “unvaccinated school-age child” has died of measles, “the first confirmed fatality in the state’s worst outbreak in three decades.” Officials have reported at least 124 cases in the state, “mostly in west Texas, since late January, and nine cases in a neighboring New Mexico county. Nearly 80 percent are children, who are more susceptible to the vaccine-preventable disease.” The child was hospitalized last week “with a high fever and struggled to breathe without assistance. The child’s respiratory symptoms grew progressively worse, and then heart problems were diagnosed. Several days ago, the child was moved to an intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator before dying.” Reuters (2/26, McKay) reports DSHS spokesperson Lara Anton “told a local ABC affiliate that the ongoing outbreak has hit mostly small children and teenagers, and that the cases were originally concentrated in a ‘close-knit, under-vaccinated’ rural Mennonite community in Gaines County.” The AP (2/26, Shastri, Seitz) says the CDC “has said it will only provide weekly updates on the measles outbreak, and has not yet updated its public webpage to reflect the child’s death.” The New York Times (2/26, Levenson, Rosenbluth, Mandavilli) also reports.