Measles Outbreak Claims Third U.S. Life as Cases Surge in Texas, RFK Jr. Promotes MMR Vaccine Amid Scrutiny A second unvaccinated school-aged child in West Texas has died from measles-related complications, marking the third fatality linked to a worsening multistate outbreak that has infected nearly 570 people and threatens to strip the U.S. of its measles elimination status.

Outbreak Details The child, an 8-year-old girl identified as Daisy Hildebrand, died early Thursday from “measles pulmonary failure” at UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, according to hospital records and local reports. She had no underlying health conditions and was unvaccinated. This follows the February death of another unvaccinated child in Lubbock—the first U.S. measles fatality in a decade—and the March death of an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.

Since late January, Texas alone has reported over 480 cases, with 56 hospitalizations. Cases in neighboring states include 54 in New Mexico and 10 in Oklahoma, while the World Health Organization has tracked linked infections in Mexico. Between March 28 and April 4, Texas cases surged by 81, with 16 new hospitalizations. Nationwide, measles infections in early 2024 have more than doubled last year’s total.

RFK Jr.’s Response Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has faced criticism for initially downplaying the outbreak, visited Gaines County on Sunday to meet Daisy’s family. In a post on X, he called the MMR vaccine “the most effective means to prevent the spread of measles” and pledged federal support, including CDC teams redeployed to Texas.

Kennedy’s stance marks a shift from his history of vaccine skepticism, though he continues to emphasize “personal choice” in vaccination decisions. In March, he drew scrutiny for endorsing vitamin A as a treatment and for remarks suggesting the measles vaccine “causes deaths every year”—a claim disputed by infectious disease experts.

Public Health Warnings The CDC warns that 1–2 out of every 1,000 measles cases result in death, with the virus suppressing immunity and increasing vulnerability to other infections. The outbreak’s rapid spread risks revoking the U.S.’s measles elimination status, achieved in 2000.

Broader Implications Health experts stress that herd immunity requires over 90% vaccination coverage and warn against framing immunization as solely an individual choice. “Treating vaccination as an individual liberty is irresponsible in a public-health sense,” said Texas A&M biologist Ben Neuman.

As federal teams assist Texas, the outbreak underscores the stakes of vaccine hesitancy—and the challenges facing an HHS secretary whose mixed messaging mirrors the nation’s polarized debate over public health.

—Reported with data from AP, The New York Times, and Bloomberg.