Unvaccinated child dies in West Texas measles outbreak, cases continue to climb

A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.

The death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday in a statement. Lubbock health officials also confirmed the death, but neither agency provided more details.

Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, which state health officials have said is Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. A case confirmed in Rockwall County Wednesday afternoon is not believed to be connected to the West Texas cases but remains under investigation. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico.

NBC 5 News

NBC 5 News

“The loss of a child is a tragedy,” and Gov. Greg Abbott and his wife are praying for “the family, loved ones, and the entire Lubbock community,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said. He added that the governor's office is in “regular communication” with the state health department, that epidemiologists and vaccination teams are in the “affected area," and that there are “daily situation updates and coordination calls” with local health officials.

“The state will deploy all necessary resources to ensure the safety and health of Texans,” Mahaleris said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this is the first measles death in the country since 2015. Measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019, and there was a rise in cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60.

The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in West Texas, where small towns are separated by vast stretches of oil rig-dotted open land but connected due to people traveling between towns for work, church, grocery shopping and other errands.

Texas health department data shows the vast majority of cases in the area are among people younger than 18. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — which is safe and highly effective at preventing infection and severe cases — is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old for the first shot, with the second coming between 4 and 6 years old.

The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide. But the measles cases in West Texas have been concentrated in a “close-knit, under-vaccinated” Mennonite community, state health department spokesperson Lara Anton has said, especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled.

Gaines County, which has 80 cases, has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year.

Earlier this month, new federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a panel would investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles and other dangerous diseases. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most kids will recover from measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling, and death.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is providing “technical assistance, laboratory support and vaccines as needed” to West Texas, the agency told the AP, but the state health department is taking the lead in the outbreak investigation.

A news conference was held in Lubbock on Wednesday afternoon.

What is measles?

Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to nine out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed.

Most kids will recover from measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling, and death.

Is the vaccine safe?

Yes, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and highly effective in preventing measles infection and severe cases of the disease.

The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old, and the second for children between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is required for kids before kindergarten in public schools nationwide.

Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, there are usually fewer than 200 in a normal year.

There is no link between the vaccine and autism, despite a now-discredited study and health disinformation.

Why do vaccination rates matter?

In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”

But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.

The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. Five years earlier, measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019.

Gaines County has one of the highest rates in Texas of school-aged children who opt out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% of K-12 children in the 2023-24 school year. Health officials said that number is likely higher because it doesn’t include many children who are homeschooled and whose data would not be reported.

What are public health officials doing to stop the spread?

Health workers are hosting regular vaccination clinics and screening efforts in Texas, as well as working with schools to educate people about the importance of vaccination and offering shots.

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